Promises
by faded colors
Summary: Misaki promised to wait for Rin, but is she willing to lie and cheat in order to keep that promise? A story about love and betrayal and how the one you want isn't always the one you're with.
1. Wait For Me

**CHAPTER ONE: WAIT FOR ME**

* * *

Short legs propelled the young girl forward. Mary Janes clacked against the concrete, a pink sweater caught in the breeze and fluttered behind her. A smile was on her face. She was so happy that he was alone; she loved when it was just them. Because she felt like they had a connection, like he accepted her. Sure the others were nice to her, but she couldn't be herself around them. Not like she could around Rin.

"Hey!" she called, slowing her speed until she came to a complete stop. Her breath was ragged from running and her onyx hair was a tangled mess.

"There you are!" the boy beamed giving the girl a toothy grin, "Took you long enough."

"I had to clean up my desk before I could go out for recess."

"Ha! You're gonna make a terrible wife if you don't learn how to clean."

Green eyes narrowed at the twelve year old boy who was laughing at his own joke. "I don't have to hang out with you today," the eleven year old said with a wide grin, watching how Rin's laughter ceased. Once his laughter stopped the girl spun around on her heels and slowly began to walk away.

"Misaki!"

"Better say something nice about me before I'm gone forever!"

"You wouldn't."

Misaki turned to look over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed and a sly smile on her young face, "See ya later Rin."

"Ugh! Fine!" Rin huffed and Misaki stopped walking but didn't bother to turn around just yet.

"Yes?"

"You're annoying," he mumbled to himself but Misaki heard and began walking away again, "But…ugh….um…."

"Oh c'mon!" Misaki spun around, crossing her arms over her chest in the process, "It can't be _that_ hard."

"Yes it is," Rin stated as he scratched his cheek, his eyes upwards and a small blush forming on his face, "It's just embarrassing."

Before Misaki could say anything she felt her hand being grabbed as Rin tugged her along. Small protests left her mouth, but never once did she try to pull her hand away. Instead she tightened the hold, squeezing his hand and noticing how warm it was even in this chilly weather. The two continued walking, Rin leading the way and moving between the buildings in order to avoid the other kids. They already got made fun even when they weren't holding hands; the kids would definitely 'oohhh' and 'awwww' if they saw their hands intertwined.

When they stopped Misaki found herself staring up the trunk of a cherry blossom tree that had yet to bloom. Her gaze turned to her left to see Rin looking up at the tree and then down to the bricks around the base. A shaky sigh left his lips as he dug his chin into his scarf and Misaki gripped his hand even tighter.

"I…um….I think you're really pretty Misaki."

The words came out softly and Misaki felt as if her heart was about to beat out of her chest, "Huh?"

"And nice, and smart, and you're really funny even if you're joke are kind of bad," Rin turned to see Misaki blushing furiously and he could feel her hand becoming clammy, "And well uh that's all the nice things I'm going to say so don't ask for any more," his gaze quickly turned back down towards the decorated bricks as Misaki's airy laugh met his ears.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed."

"Hey! I'm not the one who looks like a strawberry!" Rin snapped as he watched Misaki cover her laugh with her hand, her eyes widening slightly at his comment.

"It's cause it's cold," she huffed, "My face turns red when it's cold."

"You sure about that?" Rin snickered as he leaned in closer and poked Misaki's cheek with his free hand, "You don't feel that cold. If anything you must be warm since your hand is getting all sweaty."

Misaki quickly pulled her hand out of Rin's grasp and wiped it on her plaid skirt, "Maybe I'm getting sick."

"Doubt it," Rin sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "You can just admit it alright?"

"Admit what?"

"That you like me," his eyes had been closed as to not betray his nervousness, but he slightly opened one to see that Misaki's face had turned an even darker shade of red, "I really don't want to have to say it first."

"I like you Rin."

"Huh?" Rin's arm dropped and eyes fully opened as he leaned in closer to see if he had really heard her correctly.

"I really like you," Misaki said as she played with the hem of her skirt, "What's that look for?"

"I didn't expect you to actually say it."

"Was I not supposed to!?" Misaki took a step backwards, her pulse racing as she wondered if she had made a mistake.

"No I'm happy you said it cause I like you too," a grin came to Rin's face, which caused Misaki to calm down and an odd fluttering feeling to form in her stomach, "And since you are in love with me-"

"I didn't say that."

"-you'll have to make a promise that you'll wait for me."

"Wait for you?" Misaki asked, forgetting about how she was going to reiterate that she didn't use the word 'love' even though it was true that she loved him.

"I'm not gonna to be here for middle school. I'm going to Australia."

"Aus-Australia," Misaki had seen that place on a map before. It was far away, so far away that she wouldn't be able to see Rin every day. So far away that, "You…you're leaving?" the tears started flowing down her cheeks before Misaki even had a chance to stop them.

"Oh c'mon don't cry."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did didn't I?" Rin stated as he moved closer and wrapped his arms around the sniffling girl, "I'm not leaving forever though. I'm gonna go train to be an Olympic swimmer and when I'm the best then I'll come back so that's why you have to wait for me."

"When I come back you're gonna be my girlfriend okay?" Rin said as he placed his hands on Misaki's shoulders, noticing how she was still crying, "And we'll go on lots of dates and do all that other stuff boyfriends and girlfriends do."

"Y-You promise?" Misaki sniffled, raising her hands to try to wipe away her tears.

"Of course! Look I even got you something so you won't forget me," Rin removed his hands from Misaki's shoulders so he could dig in his pant pocket, "Here," he smiled, pulling out a pink beaded bracelet.

"Give me your arm," he instructed and gently clasped the bracelet around Misaki's wrist, "See all these metal thingies? They are so you can tighten or loosen it so it'll fit forever. Now you'll remember me and our promise."

"Then you need something to remember me," Misaki stated as she reached around her neck and undid the clasp on her silver necklace, "Here."

"I can't take this," Rin said as Misaki placed the long chain in his hands and he noticed the small bird pendant that hung on the end, "Wasn't it your grandma's or something?"

"It's my favorite necklace so you have to keep good care of it okay?" Misaki closed Rin's hands around the necklace, the feeling of wanting to cry welling up inside of her again, "I-I'm going to miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too," Rin placed the necklace in his jacket pocket before giving Misaki another hug, "But it's not like I'm leaving today, plus I said I was gonna come back for you didn't I?"

"Yeah," Misaki whispered, pressing her cheek against Rin's chest as she held him close.

"I'm gonna come back so I can take you on a date and so I can swim with my team again. Oh! That reminds me! You're gonna come to the relay this weekend right?!"

"Uh-huh," Misaki nodded as they parted, a smile coming to her face, "I'm really excited to see you swim! Do Makoto and Haruka know that you're moving?"

"I told them a few days ago, I also told them to take care of you."

"What!? Why!?" Misaki was sort of kind of friends with Makoto and Haruka meaning she did not feel comfortable with them taking care of her while Rin was gone.

"Cause you're a ditz," Rin said as he poked Misaki's forehead, "And if I'm not here to make sure you're alright then I want them to look after you."

"Ugh, fine, but I'm not a ditz," the girl sighed as she looked down at caught site of the bracelet now adorning her wrist, "Will you write me letters?"

"All the time."

"I'm going to wait for you Rin," her voice held determination as she swallowed away any tears that wanted to surface.

"You promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

**Author's Note: **And so begins my first Free! fanfic. This idea just hopped in my head and I couldn't get it out thus the birth of this story. I'm really excited to write this story- I have a lot planned for it so I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter and please leave a review!


	2. Everything Has Changed

**CHAPTER TWO: EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED**

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The first time Misaki had heard that Rin was back she felt nauseated. They had been talking about him, saying how different he seemed. How sad and angry he seemed- how he wasn't the old Rin they were used to. Misaki was supposed to be finishing up some homework before they all went out to eat but suddenly she couldn't breathe. The worst part was that she could feel his green eyes on her the whole time, as if he knew what she must be thinking. Because he knew what she felt for Rin and he knew what this could do to them.

They ignored it at first, going on with their relationship as if nothing had changed. Because nothing really had changed. She still sat next to him in class. They still held hands everywhere. He still softly kissed her and whispered 'I love you' in her ear but as time passed by Misaki stopped saying 'I love you too'. Her mind became preoccupied with thoughts of the past. Her eyes became glued to that pink bracelet that still clung to her wrist. 'Why do you still wear that?' he once asked as if telling her to take it off. She was with him now. Rin hadn't talked to her in over four years. He'd left her. She broke the promise. But she couldn't take it off and Makoto never asked her about it again. Just like he never asked her to come to any swim tournaments.

Makoto wasn't dumb and Misaki knew that fact very well. She knew that he was purposely not inviting her because there was a chance Rin would be there. As long as she didn't see him things would be fine right? That's what Misaki hoped, so she stayed away only picking up information about Rin from the few sentences she caught the swim team saying. Rin went to Samezuka now, and no- he hadn't asked about her. Or at least that's what Nagisa said and that enough made Misaki's heart sink deeper into her chest.

Misaki figured Rin wanted nothing to do with her, just like she now wanted nothing to do with him though she couldn't deny that she wanted to know what he would think of her after all these years. Would he even remember her? Would he remember how during that first year when he was away he'd sign all his letters _I love you, Rin_. Or maybe he chose to forget all that the day he stopped replying to her letters.

The hardest part was seeing how much Haruka, Nagisa, and Makoto wanted to be friends with Rin again. They wanted him around, even Makoto pretended like it wouldn't change anything. He thought she was over Rin. She wasn't. And after regionals things got even harder. Rin was friends with them now; he had even managed to become friends with Rei. Rin had managed to work his way back into his old friend group, a group that Misaki was now very much a part of.

It hadn't always been like that though. She never used to spend so much time with Makoto and Haruka. It wasn't until Makoto asked her out ten months ago that she started hanging out with them and once Nagisa and Rei were around Misaki became friends with them too. She'd even managed to get over her anger and frustration with Rin to become friends with Gou. Now that Rin was in the picture it became a game of avoidance. Misaki didn't go out with the boys when she knew Rin would be there. She didn't go to watch swim practice if Samezuka would be practicing with them. It had been three weeks since then, three weeks since the boys had their reunion with Rin and Misaki was still trying to avoid him. But the game would have to end eventually.

"You gonna go watch your _boooooyfriend_?" the question came from a petite blonde named Azami- aka Misaki's best friend since middle school. Azami was short and curvy with a head full of crazy blonde curls that were usually straightened down to her shoulders. Looks wise she was the opposite of Misaki- who was a head taller and had a slender body shape rather than Azami's womanly curves.

"Yup," Misaki nodded her head, black locks falling over her shoulders as she stuffed papers into her messenger bag, "And the boys are probably gonna want to go eat afterwards, you wanna come?"

"Can't, I'm watching the child tonight." 'The child' was Azami's term for her six year old younger sister Kiko who had a knack for making messes and ruining Azami's life, "I'll walk you to the pool though."

Iwatobi High School tended to empty out once the school day was over. The only students that remained were those in sports, or like Misaki- those who watched sports. Granted Misaki had other things she could be doing every day after school but she knew that it made Makoto happy to have her there and if there was one thing Misaki liked doing it was making Makoto happy.

"So finals are coming up-"

"Don't remind me," Misaki sighed, turning the corner with her friend as they walked towards the pool.

"You have any plans for summer break?"

"No, unless you count worrying about having to go to summer school."

"For what?"

"Math," the brunette grumbled, "Unless I get a really _really _good grade on the final I'll be in summer school."

"You worry too much," Azami said as she ran her fingers through her hair, "You'll be fine. Aren't your parents going out of town for the break?"

"Yeah they are doing some grand European tour, I was invited but I think I'd kill myself if I had to be around them for six weeks straight."

Misaki's parents were young, a solid ten years younger than her peers parents. Not only were they young but they were eccentric. They loved trying new and random things and in Misaki's lifetime she had seen her parents with more jobs than she could count. Her parents believed in risk taking and making the most out of life. One of the only reasons they even had a child was to see what it would be like. Misaki started out as a new experience for them but ended up as their pride and joy only child- a fact that Azami was very jealous of.

"So you'll have the whole house to yourself?" Azami's tone of voice and wink let Misaki know where this was going and all the brunette could do was roll her eyes, "Maybe something can happen between you and Makoto?"

"Even if something _does_ happen- which I'm not saying anything will- I won't be telling you about it."

"Lame!" Azami whined, latching onto Misaki's shoulder and shaking her violently.

"Love you too," Misaki laughed, taking Azami's hands off of her and moving towards the door that would lead her outside and to the pool, "See ya tomorrow."

Misaki faintly heard Azami yelling a goodbye as she walked out the door to feel the hot summer air surround her instantly. As she walked Misaki slipped off her black sweater and scooped her hair up into a high ponytail. It had definitely been a hot start to summer and Misaki figured it'd only get hotter as the months went on. The sound of splashing and boys talking reached her ears as she neared the pool and she couldn't help but notice that the voices sounded louder and unrecognizable.

Misaki slowed her speed as she took a step onto the concrete around the pool and her eyes widened at all the strange males standing around. She was usually informed when another team would be practicing with Iwatobi, but she had heard nothing about this.

"Misaki!" Her name rung out around the pool from the ever excited Nagisa. Misaki followed the sound of his voice as she turned her head to see the boy waving at her. She was about to wave back until her eyes fell onto Makoto who looked nervous, who looked as if something was wrong.

Her next exhale became caught in her throat as her eyes moved a few inches to the left and there he was. He was different, but the same. He was much taller and muscular but he still had those sharp teeth and bright maroon hair. His attention had been elsewhere until Nagisa called her name again. That's when he turned and his red orbs widened as they landed on her.

Misaki couldn't believe it. After all these years Rin's gaze still felt the same and she watched as his eyes scanned her up and down before snagging on her left wrist. Misaki followed his gaze, eyes looking down on the pink bracelet before she moved her arm behind her back in an attempt to hide what had already been seen. Her steps were slow and shaky as she moved towards the Iwatobi team and she could feel Makoto's gaze.

"Long time no see."

Misaki snapped her head up and although she tried not to glare she couldn't help it. Those would be Rin's first words to her in four years? 'Long time no see'? It almost made her sick to see him trying to sweep their past under the rug and act as if he hadn't basically abandoned her. "Yeah," she said slowly as if speaking slower would have the same effect on her heartbeat.

"You two know each other?" Rei asked, eyes switching between Rin and Misaki the latter who was staring off to the side rather than looking directly at Rin.

"We went to elementary school together," Misaki said, making it seem like that was their only connection because now maybe it was.

"Well!" the sound of Makoto's hands clapping together broke the awkward silence that had formed around the group, "We should start practice." A gentle smile came to his face, one which was directed at Misaki and told her that everything would be alright. Misaki tried to return the smile but it felt forced and wrong.

Makoto took the lead to the pool and the other boys followed suit, except for Rin who didn't move an inch. "What's with the face?"

"I'm not making a face," Misaki protested, watching as Makoto stretched as if trying to ignore the fact that Rin was still standing with her.

"You're making this awkward."

At that Misaki turned to look up at Rin, though it had been a mistake. All these years Misaki selfishly wished that maybe Rin would grow up to be less attractive. That he'd lose his charm but as she met his gaze she could feel herself shamelessly staring at how unfairly hot he was. This thought had caused her to lose sight of Rin's eyes, which had drifted down and away from her face. "Stop that!" she scolded, taking a step backwards and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Stop _what_?"

"You're checking me out," she said under her breath and soon a rough laugh left Rin's lips.

"You were doing the same," he pointed out, his hands on his hips as his eyes once again traveled up and down Misaki's body, "You haven't changed much."

Misaki's cheeks had begun to burn and she couldn't believe that _this _was their first conversation in years. Here she thought that when she saw Rin again, if she ever saw Rin again, that she'd have so much to say. That she'd be angry, that Rin would be a stranger to her- but that didn't happen. Yes, Misaki was angry. She was furious that he was back, that she had run into him like this. That the first words out of his mouth weren't 'I'm sorry' but he certainly didn't feel like a stranger. And if anything at seeing him Misaki felt oddly elated as if something she'd been missing in her life was now back.

"You're tall," Misaki muttered, beginning to feel self-conscious which made her feel guilty. Why should she care what Rin thought of her appearance? It wasn't like she had to impress him, though deep down she wanted to.

"You let your hair grow out," Rin stated as he leaned slightly to the left to see the long black hair that was tied up in a ponytail, "And you're eyes changed color."

When Misaki was younger her eyes had been a vibrant green. As the years went on they dulled and now she was left with a muted hazel color which matched her father's eyes.

"And you're wearing the bracelet," Rin's voice had softened a small smile coming to his face as he focused on the pink bracelet he had given her so long ago.

"Yeah," Misaki placed her right hand over her left wrist, hiding the bracelet from Rin's view as she let out a long sigh, "Shouldn't you be practicing?"

"You goin out with us to eat after this?"

Misaki's eyes narrowed as she wondered who had invited Rin to dinner. Probably Nagisa considering he had no idea of her and Rin's past besides that they went to school together. He wouldn't see any issue with it and Makoto was too kind hearted to take the invitation away. "Yeah I am."

"Great!" a smile that made Misaki's heart flutter came to Rin's face as he took a side step towards the pool, "Then we can catch up then."

Misaki could clearly see that Rin was happy to see her, that he was elated to see her still wearing the bracelet. As he ran off towards the pool she could see a skip in his step and Misaki felt sick. Misaki wanted to be happy to see him. She wanted to hug him and tell him how much she missed him. But she couldn't, because things had changed and Misaki knew that once Rin knew about the changes that smile would be wiped off his face.

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**Author's Note: **I'm pretty sure I can find Taylor Swift lyrics for every chapter (challenge accepted!). I'd love to hear what your guys thoughts on this chapter and the story so far! They help motivate me plus I just like knowing what you think of the story. And in case you couldn't tell- this story is taking place after the events of the show thus Rin being friends with everyone again. Also just food for thought this story is inspired by movies like The Notebook and The Great Gatsby- take from that what you will.


	3. Pretending

**CHAPTER THREE: PRETENDING**

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Rin was upset and although he tried to hide it Misaki could see right through his facade. After five years he still made the same face when something was on his mind. Misaki had once called him out on it when they were kids but Rin insisted that he didn't even have an upset face. If the situation hadn't been so awkward Misaki would have pointed it out to him now but instead she just ate her pizza in silence. Misaki wasn't sure why she even showed up at the restaurant considering how she kept trying to disappear. All her hazel eyes could focus on was the fact that Rin was sitting across from her. How she could so easily reach out and touch him. He was back in her life and all she could do was act like she didn't care.

"Hey," his voice was hot against her ear, sending a chill down her spine and causing her to nearly drop her pizza.

"Yeah," she whispered turning to see Makoto holding up a red and white striped cup, "Want some?"

"What is it?" Misaki asked as she took the cup not even bothering to wait for an answer before taking a sip.

"Strawberry milkshake…uhhh…Misaki?" Makoto had figured the girl would like it but his eyes widened slightly as he watched her turn her body away from him as she continued drinking.

"It's good," she stated with her mouth still around the straw.

"You can have it if you want."

Misaki held back a sigh as she placed the cup back down in her lap. Makoto would give her the world if she asked for it but sometimes she wished he'd say 'no'. Sometimes she wished he'd make her work for it. "I can just get my own," she smiled, handing the cup back to him, "Thanks though."

"I'll go with you to get one."

The way he said it clued Misaki into the fact that he wasn't just accompanying her to the counter for fun. As Misaki slid out from the large round booth (Nagisa had _insisted_ they sit there) she turned to see Rin looking down at his food. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she wondered why in the world he was acting like this.

"I told Rin about us."

Misaki knew that they were still in hearing range of their table but she couldn't help but let out a loud gasp and swivel around to clutch Makoto's shirt in her hands, "WHA-" before the question could leave Misaki's mouth Makoto had gently placed his hand over her lips.

"I thought you wouldn't want to be the one to tell him since…" Makoto trailed off his green eyes finding that pink bracelet that hung on Misaki's wrist. Misaki had never told him about the promise though she really didn't need to. Makoto could remember how inseparable Misaki and Rin were in elementary school and he could remember that promise he made to Rin all those years ago.

"Ugh," Misaki let her head fall forward until her forehead met Makoto's chest, "Was he mad?"

"I think he was just surprised," Makoto said with a shrug as he rubbed Misaki's back before leading them to stand in line.

"Why is this happening now?" Misaki whispered, the question was meant for her but it caused Makoto to sigh.

"You couldn't avoid him forever right?"

He had a point but Misaki didn't want to agree with it. If she tried harder she knew she could have avoided him for at least another month or two. She could have planned when she would finally see him instead of being thrown into this situation. There was no time for emotional or mental preparation and Misaki still wasn't sure if this was happening because she couldn't comprehend how in two hours Rin was now a part of her life again.

"It's just weird," Misaki muttered, turning over her shoulder to see Rin talking to Haru though his eyes seemed dull as he spoke, "What did he say when you told him?"

"Oh well he just kind of stayed quiet and then said 'okay'."

"Oh," Misaki's eyes stayed on Rin until his gaze flicked towards her and she was forced to look away.

"I think you should talk to him," Makoto said as he dug into his back pocket to pull out his wallet, "There's no reason why you guys shouldn't be friends. Even if it may be awkward now I'm sure you can move past it."

Misaki shouldn't have been surprised but she was. She knew that Makoto worried about what being around Rin would do to her. She knew that he worried if Misaki was really over Rin, but he was willing to put all that aside for her. "You sure?"

"Of course," Makoto's smile was genuine and it caused Misaki's hear t to swell, "So you want a strawberry shake?"

"I can pay for it," it was a feeble attempt considering Makoto wasn't about to let that happen, "Yes please," she relented before wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Thank you," she whispered, pressing her ear against his chest to try to hear his steady heartbeat, "Thank you."

* * *

The night air was a few degrees cooler but as Misaki slowly walked down the street she couldn't help but think about autumn. Leaves changing color, temperatures cooling, fall festivals- it was Misaki's favorite time of year and she couldn't wait for it to get here. Hazel eyes stared up at the starry sky and the trees moving in the gentle breeze. It was easier to stare up at the sky than look to her right where Rin was walking besides her.

"So," Rin started, breaking the silence, "You and Makoto huh?"

Misaki's heart jumped causing her exhale to become trapped in her throat. There it fought to get out, fought to release the tension which had knotted her stomach. Once she released the breath she felt indescribable guilt begin to fall onto her shoulders. "Yeah," she muttered, "Ten months." She broke the promise ten months ago. She gave up on Rin ever coming back that day she told Makoto 'yes' and the thought of that made Misaki want to cry.

"I-" Rin tried to speak but he simply couldn't. His slow steps came to a stop, a deep breath filling his lungs as he opened his mouth once more, "You're failing math?"

"What?" Misaki turned around to see Rin looking down at the ground, obviously upset yet his comment about her math grade thoroughly distracted her.

"Haru told me."

Misaki crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm not failing."

"Makoto said you needed a tutor," Rin smirked, his mood seeming to pick up as he watched Misaki squirm under his gaze.

"When did you guys have this conversation about me?"

"Doesn't matter," Rin shrugged, placing his hands into his pant pockets and beginning to walk forward once more, "So you're gonna be in summer school?"

"I haven't seen you in so long and you really want to talk about my math grade?" Misaki hadn't meant for it to sound so angry but it did. It sounded like an insult and she could see Rin's entire being tense up for a moment.

"No I don't," his voice was low and his eyes stayed forward rather than turning towards the girl on his left, "Makoto asked if I'd tutor you."

Misaki knew Makoto pretty well but this…this surprised her completely. "He what?"

"Yeah yeah I know," Rin huffed as he rubbed the back of his head, "I told him even I probably couldn't help you get out of summer school."

It was a joke. Or an insult. Misaki wasn't sure until she saw Rin smirk and her eyes narrowed in response, "I don't need a tutor."

"You sure Miss. 67% average? You need at least a C to pass right?"

Now Misaki was both fuming and embarrassed. Of all the things for Rin to know about the current Misaki it just had to be her low math grade. "Yes and I can raise it. And even if I didn't I wouldn't mind summer school."

"Bullshit. Iwatobi's summer break comes so late that it's basically fall and the last thing you want to do in the beginning of fall is be sitting in a classroom."

After Misaki took in the fact that Rin just cursed (further adding to her realizing how much older they now were) she took a minute to think about why Rin had said that. _He remembered something like that_, Misaki thought trying to think of probably the one random conversation where she told Rin that fall was her favorite season.

"Why would you even want to tutor me?"

Rin turned his gaze towards the young woman, his eyes unreadable and his mouth slightly agape, "I don't want to but Makoto asked me to. I'm doing him a favor."

"Then no, I don't want you to tutor me," Misaki stated before she stared speed walking away.

"Wait why!?"

"I didn't like your reason."

"You're joking."

"Nope," Misaki popped the 'p' and continued walking down the street.

"What was I supposed to say!?"

"The truth."

"Hey! Hey!" Rin's hand latched onto Misaki's wrist and pulled her back, "Look I…ugh god damn it you really haven't changed have you?"

Misaki could feel her pulse beating beneath Rin's grasp. His hands were warm and rough, dried out from being in the pool so much. His grasp caused an uncomfortable strain on her wrist but instead of pulling away she took a step towards him to add some slack. A deep inhale filled her nostrils with the smell of Rin's musky cologne that radiated off of him like heat from the sun. Hazel focused on the arm that was connected to hers through the power of touch. Arms defined with muscles that had not been there five years before. Rounded shoulders leading to a broad chest which took deep breaths and Misaki wondered if he was inhaling her floral perfume. If he was thinking the same thing she was. If he was captivated and confused at how much they had changed yet how nostalgic the skin to skin contact was.

If this was true nostalgia, if Rin was the same as when he was twelve he would have just said what Misaki wanted to hear. He would have admitted to wanting to help her, to wanting to reconnect with her but things were different and all Misaki got was an exasperated sigh and a "Do you want me to help you or not?"

Misaki stayed silent for a moment, trying to wait Rin out to see if he'd change his answer but finally she let out a sigh along with a mumbled 'sure' before pulling her wrist out of his grasp and releasing his hold on her.

"Okay," Rin stated as he rolled his shoulders back, "Be at Samezuka tomorrow at four and don't be late."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thanks so so much to _Pinkychick1 _for leaving a review! I'm so happy to hear that you like this story so far! Also thanks to those who have followed and favorited this story and a big thanks to any and all readers of this story- I'd love to hear your thoughts as well so leave a review :)


	4. In Your Arms

**CHAPTER FOUR: IN YOUR ARMS**

* * *

_Five years ago._

If someone cut Misaki open she was sure they would see it. She was sure that her heart was visibly misshapen. That a chunk had been taken out and that's why it was so hard to breathe. That's why she cried, because she wanted that part back. Because her blood couldn't flow right without it. Because her life wouldn't be the same with it gone.

Rin had been gone for nearly three months. He missed Misaki's twelfth birthday though he did send her a card. When she opened it it sang an unknown melody that caused her heart to twitch and beg for that missing piece back. The card came with a letter that by the end of the month was wet with tears and crumpled from hands holding on too tight.

_Hey Misaki-_

_Happy birthday! I bet you ate a ton of cake on your birthday right? If I'd been there I would have made you a cake. Vanilla- cause that's your favorite. Things here are going good. There are a lot of good swimmers but I'm sure I can keep up. I'm gonna be the best. I have your necklace in my room. I'll take good care of it. I miss you and well don't laugh when you read the next part but I love you. _

_-Rin_

He loved her yet he hadn't been able to verbalize it while he was here. It took over a month of being apart for him to write it out. It took no time at all for Misaki to write it back to him. Something about curling those four letters together made Misaki glimmer. Made her dream of the day she'd be able to hear Rin say it. Hear those three words come from his mouth and Misaki knew that he'd mean it. That he meant it now. That he'd mean it forever.

_Rin-_

_I didn't eat any cake on my birthday. Instead my parents got me a dozen doughnuts and made them into the shape of a cake. They're so weird. I bet you're already the best swimmer there. I don't think anyone could be better than you. If you have time you should send me some pictures of Australia. I read online that there are HUGE spiders there. Is that true? I miss you a lot. Sometimes I just wish you would come back but I know you will one day. I wear your bracelet every day, I'll probably still be wearing it when you come back! I love you too._

_-Misaki_

* * *

Samezuka Academy. The all-boys school. Also known as a place that Misaki felt she had no place at. "Can't you come with me?" Misaki's gaze flicked up towards her boyfriend before looking back at the boy infested school.

"I don't think I'd be much help."

Misaki groaned, her shoulders slumping forward, "I still can't believe you asked Rin to tutor me."

"He's the best at math, plus I really don't want you to have to go to summer school. And well I want you guys to be friends. I want to be able to hang out with you even when Rin's around."

Misaki turned to look up at Makoto before pushing herself onto the balls of her feet in order to give him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll text you okay?"

"Okay," Makoto slid a strong arm around Misaki's waist before softly pressing his lips against hers for only a moment, "Have fun."

Misaki wanted another kiss but Makoto was already moving away from her with a gorgeous smile lighting up his face, "Yeah I will."

The first few steps across the campus were uncomfortable. Any passing males instantly noticed her and while some just took one look then turned away others shamelessly stared. Even the office was full of males who were all eagerly listening for who she wanted to see. Once the name 'Rin Matsuoka' left her mouth a few of them snickered. One of them drew her a pretty terrible map of the campus with a circle over where Rin's dorm was. All Misaki did was say 'thanks' and leave the office with a map in hand.

"You're late."

Misaki's skin crawled and hair stood on edge as she heard Rin's gruff voice from down the hall. "Sorry?"

"And don't go to the office from now on."

It took Rin three long strides to get to Misaki and one more step to walk past her. Misaki figured she should follow even though Rin never instructed her to. "Any more instructions oh mighty one?"

"Yeah. Keep calling me that."

Rin didn't used to have that smirk when they were kids. Sure he had a smug look to him even then but never _that _look. The kind of look that made Misaki want to blush. Made her wonder what was on his mind as his eyes flicked over her body.

"Get that stupid look off your face," Rin scoffed, pushing the door open as he led them outside, "And keep up."

Misaki wasn't sure what had happened over the past twenty four hours but something in Rin had definitely changed. The silence that shrouded them as they walked to his dorm was unpleasant. It was further made this way due to Rin rarely looking over at Misaki. It was like he was trying to ignore her and when he wasn't ignoring her he was either ordering her around or insulting her.

It took them thirty minutes just to do one math problem that should have taken them five. Misaki had missed it on her homework today and just wanted to know what the answer should have been. Instead of giving her a straight answer Rin mumbled something about her intelligence and then tried to teach her a much more complicated problem that was only slightly related to the one she missed. In truth the whole hour of tutoring was a disaster and Misaki was torn between wanting to cry and wanting to slap Rin in the face.

"_God_ do you even _know_ how to do basic addition? The whole reason you missed this is because you added wrong."

Misaki had taken a lot of insults over the past hour. Rin had called her dumb, told her she should be in third grade, wondered aloud if she'd ever understand math, and even threatened to stop helping her if she didn't turn her brain on- and Misaki said nothing the entire time. She took it in and just tried harder but she was now thoroughly done with dealing with him.

"Yes Rin I know how to do simple addition the real question is do _you _know how much of an asshole you're being?" Misaki was nearly fuming and if it wasn't for her anger she surely would have succumb to her tears.

The shock on Rin's face lasted for a moment before his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed, "What did you just call me?"

"An asshole," Misaki said it slowly and deliberately, "Yeah I know I suck at math but I don't need you to be such a dick about it! Why are you even acting this way?"

Rin didn't reply. Instead he stared down at the floor of his dorm room. Teeth were clenched and red eyes flicked towards the female. Misaki watched his gaze move to her wrist as if he were checking to make sure the bracelet was still there. It was.

Misaki's voice softened, her eyes focusing on the bunk beds to her right, "If this is about-"

"Don't." Rin's voice was low and threatening as if one more word out of Misaki's mouth would cause him to combust, "Whatever you're thinking is wrong okay? It's just been a long day."

"Okay but I think maybe we should talk about-"

Rin's fist hit the floor with a bang, red eyes glaring at the noirette, "There's no point. Things changed just leave it at that."

And just like that Misaki watched five years of unresolved issues get swept under the rug. She watched as Rin fought to keep this conversation from happening. Fought to keep Misaki from trying to explain why she gave up on waiting for him but also why she kept the bracelet. Misaki thought the only way to move forward was to discuss what happened. Rin thought it was best to just ignore it and Misaki couldn't help but wonder if he was right.

Misaki wasn't able to speak after seeing Rin's outburst. It was obvious that he was mad and Misaki didn't know how to help or even if she could. Instead she stared at the ground they were sitting on. Ears perked as she heard Rin let out a long sigh before he closed the math book that lay in front of them.

"Nitori will probably be back soon."

"Is that your roommate?" Misaki questioned, taking the hint that she should probably leave.

"Yeah I told him I'd be tutoring you for an hour after swim practice so he could figure out somewhere else to be."

"It's okay if he's around," Misaki's shoulders moved up into a shrug as she stood and slung her bag over her shoulder, "I don't mind."

The only warning Misaki had was the irritated grunt Rin let out before he was wrapped his arms around her shoulders, "I'm sorry for being such an asshole today."

Misaki's senses were on fire as the mumbled apology reached her ear. Her whole body focused on how it felt to have his arms wrapped around her. How his palms lay flat against her back as he rested his cheek on top of her head. How her ear rested over his heart, which was beating quickly. She noticed how he pulled her in and held her tightly against his chest with no sign of letting go. Her cheeks became flushed as she raised two shaky arms and snaked them around his waist.

She could feel his body jerk at the contact, his muscles tensing as her fingertips grazed across his lower back. "Okay," it was the only word Misaki would manage to say as her mind was currently overloaded with how good this embrace felt. How nice it was to be able to hold him and to be held by him.

"I get it if you'd rather find someone else to tutor you."

"No," the word was strong yet fearful as Misaki tightened her hold and pressed her cheek into Rin's chest as she whispered the last part of her sentence, "I don't want to find anyone else."

* * *

**Author's Note:** So I'll probably be throwing in more flashbacks at the beginning of chapters to help show Misaki's relationship with not just Rin but also Makoto and such. Thanks to everyone who added this story to their alerts and favorited it.

_InsomniaticActs:_thanks for reviewing and i feel like Rin/Misaki needs some cute ship name and so does Makoto/Misaki that way people have a name for who they ship in this story.

If anyone has any name ideas leave it in a review and let me know what you think of the story so far :)


	5. Running Scared

**CHAPTER FIVE: RUNNING SCARED**

* * *

_Four years ago_

"Hey Misaki, how do you know those guys?"

Green eyes looked over towards her female friend whose curly blonde hair was matted and dirty from running around outside at lunch, "Who?"

"Nanase and Tachibana."

Misaki followed Azami's gaze to see the aforementioned boys seated in their desks on the opposite end of the room. At hearing his last name Makoto turned to see both girls staring at him. Instead of looking away he gave them a smile and a small wave. "We went to elementary school together," Misaki replied as she returned the smile.

Azami's face had flushed at being caught staring at the boys and her red face was now pointed at Misaki, "So you are friends with them?"

Misaki took a moment to allow the question to swim through her mind. Before Rin left she had spent her fair amount of time around the boys. Occasionally she would eat lunch with them and she'd make sure to say 'hi' to them but she wouldn't call them friends. Rin was her friend and Haruka and Makoto were just acquaintances. Once Rin left Misaki stopped eating lunch with them though that didn't deter Makoto from coming up to her every now and then just to see how he was. Haru would always be by his side, but he never said much.

Misaki bit her bottom lip as her eyes caught sight of the pink bracelet on her wrist. True to her word she had yet to take it off though it always made her a bit sad whenever she looked at it. "Kind of," the girl muttered as she pulled the bracelet in a circular motion around her wrist.

"They seem nice," Azami stated as she began tapping her pencil on her desk before another question popped into her mind. "Misaki," she whispered, leaning closer to the friend she had made just weeks before, "Which one do you think is cuter? Nanase or Tachibana?"

Misaki felt her cheeks grew warm as she sent a tentative glance towards the boys to make sure they hadn't heard Azami's question, "Why?"

Azami's voice stayed low as a grin came to her face, "Cause imagine how fun it'd be if we went on a double date! But since they're your friends you can pick which one you'd want."

Misaki had to stifle a laugh as she raised both eyebrows at her friend, "Why do you want a boyfriend so bad?"

"Like you don't," Azami accused, her eyes widening as Misaki's gaze shifted downwards and her cheeks flushed, "Unless….Misaki!" hands reached out and grasped onto her friend's desk, "Do you already have a boyfriend that I don't know about?"

Misaki let out a fake laugh as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat. She hadn't told Azami about Rin and as of now she had no intention of ever telling her. Azami wasn't a very good secret keeper and Misaki didn't want anyone else knowing about her and Rin's promise. "No," Misaki whispered, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear.

"Then pick," Azami whispered, "If you could date Nanase or Tachibana which one would it be?"

Misaki felt her throat begin to dry but no matter how many times she swallowed it didn't seem to get better. The only person Misaki wanted to date was Rin, but she couldn't tell Azami about him. She also couldn't get out of this without answering since Azami would pester her until she did. Green eyes that had already begun to fade peeked past her friend to see the two boys chatting to each other, "Makoto," Misaki whispered watching as that cute smile came onto Makoto's face, "I'd date Makoto."

* * *

Misaki had been seeing Rin for tutoring three times a week for the past two weeks. Each hour session was less awkward than the last but there was an obvious wall between them- a wall Misaki didn't talk to anyone about. Nagisa, Rei, Azami, and Gou didn't even know that Misaki was getting tutoring- and she wasn't about to tell them. Haru knew about the tutoring but didn't seem to be that interested in her personal life so it wasn't like Misaki talked to him about it. The only one Misaki talked to about Rin was Makoto but she kept the conversations short as they usually occurred while he walked her to Samezuka after swim practice.

"Did you look at the study guide?" Makoto asked, referring to the math final study guide they had received in class today.

Misaki nodded her head 'yes' as she felt Makoto's hand rub up against hers. Instinctively she laced her fingers between his and pressed their palms together as they continued walking down the street. "I can do about…" Misaki paused, tapping her chin with her free hand, "Forty percent of the problems."

A long sigh left Makoto's lips as his head instantly dropped, "That's not very good."

"What are you talking about! That's like almost half!"

Makoto couldn't help but smile as he turned to look down at Misaki, "If you only did half of the problems on the final you'd get an F."

Misaki's eyes widened and jaw slacked as she threw her free arm up in the air, "I never said I was good at percents and stuff!"

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Makoto laughed, reaching his right arm across his body to pat Misaki on the head, "Just keep studying. How is that going by the way?"

"Good," Misaki's shoulders rose in a small shrug as she smoothed down the frizz Makoto had caused by touching her hair, "My homework grade has been going up."

A silence fell over them as Misaki knew that her answer wasn't what Makoto wanted. He didn't want to know how effective the tutoring was he wanted to know how things were going with Rin. He wanted to know if Misaki and Rin were friends again but Misaki not only didn't have an answer but she didn't want to talk about it. The past two weeks had been helpful math wise but difficult emotional wise. Every time Misaki was around Rin she was forced to deal with the ever growing elephant in the room. They never talked about their past or what had transpired in the years Rin was gone. Misaki never asked why Rin stopped writing her or why he didn't come see her as soon as he was back in town. Rin never asked why Misaki broke her promise and started dating Makoto. Instead they talked about the slope intercept formula while they both snuck glances at each other. They rarely talked about anything other than math for fear that they would slip into conversations about the past. Fear that everything they were hiding would reveal itself.

"That's good," Makoto's smile hid his disappointment in her answer as his gaze settled on Samezuka Academy, "I'll see you tomorrow."

With one swift movement Makoto's lips were on Misaki's giving her a single kiss before he began walking away. The rest of the journey into Samezuka had become routine. Walk towards the back of the campus, make a right, the dorms will be right there, go inside and take the stairs up to the second floor, take a left and Rin's room was three doors down and on the right. Misaki would then knock and Rin would open up and they'd begin, but today he didn't answer the door. Instead Misaki spent five minutes knocking, ten minutes pacing, and finally sat down near the door to wait for another twenty minutes.

Low pings emitted from Misaki's phone as she played Candy Crush, her butt on the carpeted ground and her legs stretched out in front of her. Her mind was so involved in the game that she didn't hear the soft creak of the door near the stairs. She didn't hear the first few footsteps but a loud 'Yo!' certainly caught her attention.

Misaki's nerves jolted at the greeting, the phone dropping into her lap as one hand rested over her heart, "You scared me!"

"Swim practice went over."

Misaki listened to Rin's reason for being late as she was putting her phone back into her backpack. Her eyes had yet to look up at the red head who was unlocking the door before he placed his hand right in front of Misaki's face. Misaki slid her hand into his, allowing him to help her to her feet as she mumbled a thanks. Once she was upright she found herself standing very close to a very shirtless Rin. Hazel eyes moved from his chest down to his abdominals and then back up again. She noticed the unzipped Samezuka jacket which kept his broad shoulders and muscular arms out of view. Eyes scoured over Rin's chest as Misaki gulped down a shaky breath and pulled her hand out of his

"Why are you still in your swimsuit?" Misaki asked as her eye flicked down to the black and red swimwear before snagging on his toned stomach once more.

"I just told you- swim practice lasted longer than expected."

"Still don't get why you're…" Misaki trailed off wanting to add in 'half naked' but not really wanting to verbally point it out.

Rin let out a gruff laugh reaching down and placing two fingers beneath Misaki's chin, "My face is up here," he taunted as he lifted her head and gave her a smirk.

"Oh s-shut up!" Misaki jerked her face away and walked into the door room, her cheeks burning and heart racing.

Without being told Misaki began taking out all her math stuff and placing them on Rin's desk. She also pulled over Rin's roommate's desk chair so both her and Rin could sit at the desk. "I got my final review today," she said, flipping through the five stapled pages that were filled with problems, "I think we should go over the ones I have no idea how to do first."

"Okay but I have to shower."

Misaki's eye widened as she dropped the study guide on the desk, "Now?"

"Yes now," Rin replied, slipping off his jacket and throwing it on his bed, "Just start on the review."

Misaki once again found her shamelessly staring as Rin raised his arms over his head, small popping sounds coming from his muscular back. It was an uncontrollable stare, an uncontrollable feeling of finding Rin ridiculously attractive. Everything about him made Misaki's blood burn and her pulse race though she had desperately been trying to ignore it over the past two weeks.

"When's your final?"

Rin's question snapped her out of her trance as she averted her gaze back down to the desk, "Next Friday."

Misaki waited for the response that she didn't hear because her attention had been diverted. Eyes focused on the glistening silver that hadn't been there last time she was over. In fact it hadn't been there over the past two weeks but now she saw it. It was peeking out from underneath two pieces of paper, as if Rin had tried to hide it but failed. Misaki instantly wondered where he had been hiding it before letting it sink in that he still had it. Right hand reached out to touch the small bird pendant before pulling the necklace out from its resting place and hanging it off of her index finger.

"You kept it," Misaki didn't want to cry. She had managed to not cry since she saw Rin but this was too much, "My necklace," she croaked, watching as it slowly swung from her finger.

"I promised I'd take good care of it, and I keep my promises."

It was low and it hurt like hell. The way that Rin's words were like a dart aimed straight for Misaki's heart. They hadn't talked about the promises they made when they were kids, all they had been talking about was math. They acted like strangers but the tension between them spoke to more. The unsaid anger, the hidden sadness, and the obvious attraction that they had for each other. The way Rin's hand once 'accidently' ran over her thigh. The way Misaki's eyes drank in everything about Rin before her mind drug her down into a pit of guilt. A pit filled with thoughts of how Rin could be hers. Of how she _wanted_ him to be hers but she shouldn't feel that way. She had a boyfriend, a wonderful boyfriend but late at night as Misaki played over her moments with Rin she came to the horrible conclusion that no matter how much she loved Makoto- he would never be Rin.

"I'm sorry," the words were strained and choked by the tears that ran down Misaki's cheeks. She wanted to say more. Like how she was sorry to Rin for breaking the promise. How she was sorry to Makoto for feeling this way. How she was sorry for the situation she was in and sorry that she wasn't emotionally stronger.

"Misaki-"

"I'm fine," Misaki lied, placing the necklace down as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "This is just it's…it's harder than I thought I'd be."

A low sigh left Rin's mouth as he pushed his hair back, "I know."

"I wish I'd done things differently," Misaki whispered resting her weight on the desk as he let her head hang and hair cling to her face as tears still streamed, "I wish I'd waited."

It came out softly, a silent secret that wasn't meant to be spoken but once it was out it began wreaking havoc. It caused Rin's throat to close and his breath to become lodged. It caused immeasurable guilt to build upon Misaki as she beared the weight of her statement on her shoulders. Rin watched as Misaki shook from tears and regret and he wondered if he had just heart her correctly. She wanted to wait for him. She wanted him. Rin swallowed hard as he closed the gap between them, placing a strong hand on her shoulder in order to spin her around. Her body collapsed into his chest, tears rolling down his bare chest as Misaki sniffled and tried to get it together.

Rin felt her cold tears against his warm skin as he loosely held onto her shoulders, "Me too," he mumbled and immediately Misaki was pushing herself away from him.

"Ugh I'm being ridiculous!" she nearly shouted as she frantically rubbed her eyes, mascara and eyeliner smearing onto the backs of her hands, "It's not like we can change anything so-"

"Yes we can," Rin growled his fists balled up at his sides, "Misaki," his voice softened as he let out a long breath and something in his eyes changed.

Misaki had seen that look before. She had seen it in those green orbs right before he gave her her first kiss. Right before he leaned in and placed a strong hand on her cheek and pressed his lips on hers. Seeing that look in Rin's eyes caused her heart to beat furiously and it was only made worse as he took a step towards her. She could understand him being frustrated. Misaki understood just wanting to say 'fuck it' and give in to what they obviously both wanted- each other. But it wasn't that simple. It wasn't something Misaki could bring herself to do so instead she did the only other thing she could think of.

She ran. She picked up her backpack, leaving her math folder on the desk, and ran. She ran down the hallway and bolted down the stairs but Rin didn't chase after her instead all he could do was whisper her name before furiously punching his desk.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I really wanna grab Rin and Misaki, sit them down, and force them to talk out their problems but they are just too darn stubborn which leads to emotional outbursts like this.

_Marionette-Rui:_ Here's the next update! It came out faster than I expected (like way way faster) but thanks so much for reviewing and I'm happy you like it! :)


	6. Treacherous

**CHAPTER SIX: TREACHEROUS  
**

* * *

_Three years ago_

It had been months. Months since she last received a letter from Rin. She wrote him numerous times since then but he never replied. As time went on Misaki's letters became riddled with pleas for a response, the begging for Rin to just write her back and let her know what was happening. That was the worst part of the whole thing- the fact that Misaki had no clue why this was occurring. There was no warning that one day Rin would stop writing her, that he would cut all ties.

"Misaki?" two soft knocks came on the fourteen year olds door before pushing it open, "Aw honey."

Mrs. Takahashi let out a long sigh as she saw her daughter sleeping on her bed surrounded by pieces of paper. As the woman approached she noticed that the papers were not blank but were in fact letters. A gentle hand picked up one of the letters noticing how it was affectionately signed '_love, Rin'_.

"I think he lied." Misaki's voice was small and tired as she pushed a few of the letters off her bed, "Dad loves you right Mom?"

"Yes," Mrs. Takahashi nodded, sitting down next to her daughters curled up form.

"Would he ever stop talking to you?"

Mrs. Takahashi took a moment to think of her answer as she ran her fingers through her daughter's silky black hair, "Not without a reason."

"That's why I think Rin lied when he said he loved me," Misaki sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand, "He stopped talking to me and didn't give me a reason."

"Now I don't know much about this Rin, but any boy who could make my daughter's eyes light up must be something special. When I hold these letters I can see his spirit-"

"_Mom_," Misaki whined, flipping over onto her back as she rolled her eyes at her mom's spirit comment.

"I'm being serious! I can sense his energy and I believe with all my heart that he loves you."

One eyebrow rose as Misaki sat up and pulled her hair to one side, "Really?"

"Yes. These letters are filled with love, I can feel it."

"So what should I do?"

"That's a good question," Mrs. Takahashi gently rubbed the top of Misaki's head, "But no one else can give you that answer. Follow your heart and I'm sure you'll figure it out."

* * *

The day after Misaki's emotional breakdown she showed up at Samezuka for tutoring. She sat with Rin for an hour as he helped her with her study guide. The necklace was nowhere to be seen and neither of them talked about what had happened. They pretended like none of it occurred and instead focused on raising Misaki's math grade. But something was building, changing, and waiting for the right opportunity to come barreling out.

Misaki got a solid B- on her math final which managed to raise her grade to a 71%- meaning no summer school for her. She found out after school that Friday when her teacher sighed and told her to work hard after the break. Misaki had then run to the pool and proudly announced her accomplishment to the Iwatobi Swim Team who all smiled and clapped (except for Haru- he just clapped). After practice Misaki almost began walking the route to Samezuka before she realized that she would no longer be tutored by Rin. There was now no reason for her to spend so much time with him, but maybe that was for the best.

After arriving home to see her house in a mess (which always happened right before her parents left for a long trip) Misaki thought twice about telling her parents about her math final. They didn't even know that Misaki was getting tutoring though a letter from the school a month ago informed them that their daughter might need to go to summer school. In typical Takahashi fashion Misaki's parents didn't pressure her at all to raise the grade. Kimi Takahashi said that math can't heal a person's soul so as long as Misaki's soul was okay then she was proud. Yasu Takahashi said that he could just write a letter to the school saying summer school was against their religion (aka he could lie) that way Misaki didn't have to go. Basically neither of them were worried about it but Misaki knew they would be way too excited if she told them that she had raised her grade.

Misaki thought it over for a second before she shrugged and began walking up the stairs, "Hi mom, hi dad I'm home! School was good, life is good, I'll be in my room if you need me!"

With that shouted greeting Misaki went into her room and shut the door. Her parents never questioned her about her life so she was sure they wouldn't ask her about the whole summer school thing. It wasn't that they didn't question because they didn't care but they always had a philosophy that Misaki's life was her own and even if they were her parents they didn't have a right to butt in. Most of the time this was nice but sometimes Misaki really wished her parents would set rules or give her guidance so she wasn't trying to figure out everything on her own.

With summer break officially here Misaki figured the best way to celebrate was with watching Disney movies on Netflix. After changing into sweatpants and a plain orange t-shirt Misaki settled onto her bed ready to mindlessly enjoy Pocahontas when a loud ping emanated from her phone.

'_i heard about your math grade.'_

Misaki stared at the sender's name. Rin. They had exchanged numbers a while go but they had never actually texted each other. Thumbs lightly grazed over the keypad composing a response. _'who told you?'_

'_Makoto he texted me saying thanks.'_

A low groan grew in Misaki's throat. Of course Makoto would text Rin to thank him for tutoring her even before Misaki ever said thanks. Of course. _'i ended up with a c-'_ The message sent and Misaki figured she should follow it up with some sort of gratitude. _'thanks for all your help.'_

'_you owe me'_

'_excuse me?' _Misaki's eyebrows stayed raised as she waited for Rin's response.

'_you couldnt have passed without me'_

Misaki quickly typed, saying her response out loud as the words appeared on the screen, "Yes I could have."

'_really?'_

She could picture the smirk that must have been on Rin's face as he pointed out a truth that Misaki wasn't about to admit. _'what do i owe you?'_

'_dinner tonight'_

Misaki liked keeping her personal life private but at reading the text she was nearly running down the hall to ask for advice, "Rin wants to go to dinner tonight."

"Look how comfy you look," Mrs. Takahashi grinned as she continued to fold clothes into a suitcase, "Honey throw me my pink shirt," she called, her gaze going towards the closet where Mr. Takahashi was sorting through clothes.

Misaki entered the room, scooting clothes out of her way before plopping down on the bed, "Did you hear me?"

"Rin wants to go to dinner with you," Mr. Takahashi repeated, throwing a red shirt towards his wife.

Mrs. Takahashi frowned down at the shirt but instead of correcting her husband that this was not the pink shirt she wanted she simply folded it neatly and placed it in the suitcase, "Are you going to go?"

Misaki took a moment to realize just how versed her parents were in this whole 'not butting in' thing. They had heard Misaki mention that Rin was back _once_ and they had no clue that she had been seeing him for tutoring for the past few weeks but here they were talking to her about Rin as if he wasn't the guy who basically broke her heart. "I feel like I should ask Makoto what he thinks."

"You know what he'll tell you," Mrs. Takahashi said, "Plus no one else can give you the answer."

Misaki rolled her eyes though her mom did have a point. Whether Makoto approved or not he would tell Misaki that it was okay for her to go out to dinner with Rin. Makoto would never dare tell Misaki that she couldn't do something and knowing him he'd probably encourage her to go because he would know that she wanted to. "It'll just worry him if I tell him," Misaki mumbled to herself, running her fingers through her hair as she stared down at her phone.

"Misaki," Mrs. Takahashi's voice caught her daughter's attention, "I heard a very interesting phrase the other day, one that I think can help you in this situation. YOLO."

"_No_, no, _no_ mom oh my god you are _not_ allowed to say that!" Misaki heard her father laugh as her mother simply smiled at her, "Seriously mom you can't say that."

"I think it's catchy," Mrs. Takahashi said with a shrug, "Do you know what it stands for? You only-"

"Yes yes I know I know. You only live once."

A smile came to Mrs. Takahashi's face, "Exactly. We each only get one life so we should do what we want with it. So, what do you want to do?"

Misaki bit her bottom lip her eyes focused on pile of socks that lay on the bed in front of her, "But isn't it like I dunno….wrong? Girls with boyfriends don't just go out to dinner with another guy."

Mrs. Takahashi repeated the question, "But what do you want to do?"

A flutter had formed in Misaki's chest when she read Rin's text. It had been a feeling of excitement that Rin wanted to spend time with her and Misaki wanted to spend time with him. Misaki grinded her bottom lip between her teeth as she slowly typed in her response and hit send before she could change her mind. _'what time?'_

* * *

The black shorts hit at Misaki's upper thigh showing off legs that she had just spent an hour shaving. As she walked Misaki tugged at the hem of the green sheer button up shirt that was worn over a black tank top. Simple silver sandals adorned her feet and made a soft sound against the pavement. Misaki had re-straightened her hair and spent way too much time on her makeup as if she were getting ready for a date.

But this was not a date. If this had been a date Misaki would have let Rin pick her up at her house. If this was a date they'd be meeting at a nice restaurant rather than a McDonalds. This was in no way a date because girlfriends don't go on dates with guys that aren't their boyfriends.

The sun had already been replaced by the moon which cast a bright glow over the bustling street Misaki was walking down. Neon lights clung to every building as street lights lined the way. The McDonalds was on the corner right next to a small coffee shop that never got much business. A chime emitted from the door as Misaki walked inside, the thought that she was early being wiped away as her eyes caught sight of Rin.

He wore a white t-shirt, dark grey skinny jeans, and some simple black tennis shoes. Misaki noticed how he sat on a red bench with his elbows on his knees. The way his arms were bent caused his biceps to flex. One of his hands was balled into a fist, the other laying over it as if it were a blanket. His gaze was up at the menu and he didn't notice Misaki until she blocked his view.

"How long have you been here?" Misaki asked watching as Rin's eyes slowly made their way up to her face.

Rin didn't answer, instead he stood up so now it was Misaki looking up at him, "You sure you want to eat here?"

Over text Rin had tried to argue for them going to an actual restaurant but Misaki refused. "Yeah," she said as she dug through her black purse before pulling out her wallet, "It's fine."

"I'll pay for you."

Misaki knew that Rin was trying to be sweet, but she simply couldn't allow it. "I got it," she mumbled trying to ignore the frustrated look that had appeared on Rin's face.

Before Rin could offer again Misaki went up to the counter and ordered a hamburger with some fries. She could feel Rin's gaze as she paid and even as she went to fill up her cup with soda. Silence fell over them as they waited for their food and continued as they sat across from each other at a sticky yellow and red booth.

Misaki had been thinking of something to say when she saw noticed a hand reach for her tray and take off with a handful of fries. "Hey!" her voice was way too loud, earning her the attention of the other patrons and a chuckle from Rin, "Give them back."

Instead of returning the stolen fries Rin placed them on his tray and slowly began eating them relishing in the perturbed look Misaki was giving him, "Don't tell me you haven't grown out of that little pet peeve of yours."

Rin was mocking her and Misaki had to try her hardest to control her irrational anger. That pet peeve Rin was talking about had in fact not been grown out of. Misaki still hated it when people took food off her plate without permission. Rin had blamed it on her being an only child since he didn't have the luxury of not sharing with Gou around. Although Rin found it hilarious how angry it made Misaki he was always good about not taking food off her plate. That's why when he stole her fries and then taunted her about it Misaki was about ready to punch him in the kidney.

"Of course I have," Misaki lied, not willing to allow Rin to think that he still knew her so well.

Rin smirked, "Oh really?" His head reached out again towards Misaki's tray before slowly picking up two more fries.

Misaki's eyebrow visibly twitched as she tried to push past her annoyance but she simply couldn't. With one quick movement she reached over the table and took a handful of fries off of Rin's tray and dumped them onto hers. Rin immediately let out a laugh as he didn't even bother to try to get his food back, "You really haven't changed."

That comment irked Misaki more than Rin taking her fries because yes, she had changed. She wasn't wearing booty shorts when she was twelve god damn it! The last thing Misaki wanted to be was the same scrawny, poorly dressed, awkward kid Rin remembered. She was a woman now, a woman who hated people stealing food from her but a woman none the less. "Well neither have you," Misaki shrugged, "I would have thought you'd get those teeth flattened out by now."

Rin raised an eyebrow at Misaki's petty excuse for an insult, "Last I remember you were always begging to touch them to see if they were sharp."

The memory made Misaki both embarrassed and sad because of how different things were and the only way to relieve the sadness was to change the subject, "So how was Australia?"

"Fine."

Awkwardness formed between them as the pair tried to have a conversation that didn't revolve around math. Truth be told they had yet to really catch up and the only thing Rin really knew about Misaki now was that she sucked at math. Misaki let out a sigh before turning her gaze towards the other patrons, "I heard you had a pretty rough time."

Rin stayed silent, allowing Misaki to continue, "Something about how you didn't feel good enough or I dunno."

"Makoto needs to learn to shut his mouth," Rin mumbled, taking a sip from his soda as he leaned back, "There were just a lot of good swimmers there that I wasn't prepared for."

It slipped without warning, no preparation as the words slid out of Misaki's mouth before she could pull them back, "Is that why you stopped writing me?"

Hazel eyes immediately widened at the sound of her own voice asking that question, at the sound of the rug being moved aside to reveal all of her and Rin's issues. Misaki stared at Rin noticing how his gaze widened then narrowed as he looked away before responding.

"I didn't want to burden you."

A lump began forming at the back of Misaki's throat. For years Misaki thought that Rin stopped writing because he hated her. Because he didn't love her. Because he moved on. A thousand reasons swam through her head during those years but never once did she think he did it to spare her. "I could have been there for you," the verbalization of her thoughts was meant for her own ears but Rin heard them as well, "You could have told me that instead of just abandoning me."

"I didn't _abandon_ you Misaki."

Hazel eyes hardened as she met Rin's red orbs as if daring him to say something else. Daring him to act like that's not exactly what he did, "You left without a reason. I'm pretty sure that's the definition of abandonment."

Rin leaned forward, pressing his palms into the table, "Abandonment means you never come back. I came back. _You're_ the one-"

"Me!?" Misaki's voice was beginning to rise as she let out a fake laugh, "You really want to blame this all on me?"

"I'm not the one who told you to go out with Makoto."

Misaki could hear the anger in Rin's voice. The obvious hurt that was laced in his words but Misaki didn't care. What she did care about was how Rin was trying to put this all on her. How he was acting like he did nothing wrong. Like Misaki went out of her way to break her promise. Like he gave her no reason to lose hope. "Screw you," she hissed before grabbing her stuff and walking as fast as possible towards the exit.

"Misaki!"

She could hear Rin calling her name and sense him running to catch up to her. She didn't stop. Instead Misaki kept pushing forward her sandals pounding against the pavement as she tried to drown out Rin's voice. Her pace wasn't fast enough and soon she was forcefully spun around, "Leave me alone," she spat, pulling her arm out of Rin's grasp and turning to begin walking down a nearby alleyway.

"I thought about you every day."

His words were blown by the wind into her ears causing her to stop walking and turn to see a look on Rin's face that she never wanted to witness. Devastation.

"I- god damnit," Rin balled his hands into fists as he stared down at the ground not sure how to verbalize what he wanted to say, "I wanted to write you back but I felt like such a fucking failure. I thought about you every day and then I get back to see you with _him_."

The way the pronoun came out of Rin's mouth, filled with so much hate, sent chills down Misaki's spine and all she could think to do was apologize, "I'm sorry. But you don't know what it was like waiting for you."

"It's not like I wanted this to happen but it did and now," Misaki let her head drop as she placed both her hands on either side of her head, "Now I'm just so confused."

"Why didn't you take that bracelet off?"

Misaki looked up at Rin to notice that he had moved closer to her. He gently took Misaki's hand and thumbed over the pink bracelet with a pained look on his face. "Same reason you didn't get rid of the necklace," Misaki whispered as she felt Rin's touch disappear for a moment before resurfacing on her hips.

The contact was rough and tight so Misaki would have no chance of getting away. His hands were warm and his thumbs pushed up the fabric of Misaki's t-shirt so his palms could press against her bare skin. With a strong pull Rin brought Misaki towards him so that there was no space in-between their bodies.

"Rin," Misaki whispered trying to force her body to move away but she couldn't. Her mind was screaming at her that this was wrong. That her breath shouldn't have become rapid at Rin's touch. That she shouldn't be pressing herself into him. The image of Makoto came to her mind causing her to flinch and retract.

At feeling her body flinch Rin didn't loosen his hold but instead pushed her shirt further up so his hands pressed into her waist. The slight moan that left Misaki's mouth made Rin smirk as he removed one of his hands and placed it under her chin so she would look up at him.

At first glance Rin looked calm and collected but Misaki could see the nervousness pooling in his eyes. She could see that this situation made him uncomfortable and Misaki couldn't help but find that adorable. "Rin we-"

She was about to say 'can't'. As in they simply couldn't do this. As in Misaki had a boyfriend who she loved. As in Misaki wasn't a cheater but that's exactly what she became when Rin's lips firmly pressed down onto hers.

The contact was sudden and uniquely different. Makoto's kisses were always soft and tender as if he were afraid of breaking her. Rin was completely opposite. His lips crashed into Misaki's with a ferocity that sent her taking a small wobbly step backwards. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip as one hand rested on her cheek and the other on her bare waist.

She should have pulled away. Misaki should have pushed Rin off in disgust and yelled at him about how she had a boyfriend. She shouldn't have given in as easily as she did. At feeling his teeth on her bottom lip Misaki let out a moan and pushed her body into Rin's causing him to kiss her even harder. She pushed herself up onto the balls of her feet as she placed her hands around his neck. Once her hands were around his neck Rin took the opportunity to grab the back of Misaki's legs and easily lift her up. Instinctively her legs wrapped around his waist as he took two steps forward.

Her back hit the alleyway wall with a low bang and a grunt from Rin as Misaki pulled his hair. He detached his lips from hers but before Misaki could say a word he began nipping at her neck. "You're gonna leave a mark," Misaki couldn't believe it but she was actually giggling as she felt Rin's tongue circle around her collarbone.

"Good," he breathed, gently biting down.

"Not good," she laughed, pulling Rin's hair gently until he was away from her neck and looking back up at her.

Rin didn't respond at first, instead pressing his lips to Misaki's once more before mumbling out words in between kisses, "_God_, I've…been…waiting for this…for so….fucking long."

By now Misaki's mind was completely involved in Rin. The word 'consequences' was far, far from her mind as she flushed at how passionate Rin sounded. "Me too," she whispered against Rin's lips the words tasting of bitter truth and had her senses not been so preoccupied with Rin she would have surely felt the scarlet A being burned into her chest.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I've been wanting to write this chapter since I started this story and I'm actually pretty proud of how it turned out. The drama is gonna start heating up so I hope you guys are ready! I'd also LOVE to hear what you think of this chapter as it's kinda a big turning point in the story.

_StormyInk: _adjwegeaeoneou AH you're review was so SO nice and basically made my day. i'm so happy that you like this story even with it's OC and just seriously thanks so much cause your review was very sweet and lovely and wonderful. also RinSaki and MakoSaki are the perfect little ship names for them

_Pinkychick1: _thanks so much for your review! and did you expect Misaki to do this!?


	7. Mistake

**CHAPTER SEVEN: MISTAKE**

* * *

Misaki was sure that her actions had somehow visibly marked her. She felt as though the strangers she passed on her late night walk home could smell Rin on her. They could see his hands pressed into her waist and noticed how swollen her lips were. She felt as though her whole body was screaming out what had happened and began screaming louder the more she began comprehending her actions.

The door opened silently as Misaki was sure her parents were asleep by now. Hazel eyes scanned the lit up living room, noticing her mom sleeping on the couch. "Mom? Hey, mom?"

Brown eyes opened to look up at her daughter, a smile coming to Mrs. Takahashi's face, "Congratulations."

Eyebrow cocked as Misaki wondered what she could possibly be congratulated for. "You passed your math class," Mrs. Takahashi explained before pointing to something behind Misaki.

"Makoto brought them over earlier," a yawn escaped Mrs. Takahashi's mouth as she stood up and gave her daughter a hug, "He's such a nice boy. And you're such a smart girl I'm very proud of you."

Misaki barely felt her mother's hug as she stared at the beautiful glass vase that was on her coffee table. It was full of a bouquet of orange, yellow, and purple wildflowers and a small white envelope sat nestled within the petals. The sight should have brought a smile to Misaki's face but instead it shot a horrible sense of guilt throughout her entire being. Suddenly she couldn't stop thinking about Rin's lips on hers and just how much she liked it and how during all of that Makoto was here at her house bringing her flowers. He was at the flower shop probably asking all the employees what kind of flowers to get. He probably told them about his girlfriend who raised her math grade. His voice was probably filled with pride and love.

Nausea began rising up in Misaki's stomach as she mumbled a 'goodnight' to her mom who headed upstairs. The guilt made her shake as she walked towards the flowers and realized just how beautiful they were. Flowers like this weren't cheap yet Makoto probably hadn't even paid attention to price. A lump formed in Misaki's throat as she picked up the envelope and tore it open to reveal a sweetly written note.

_To the most beautiful girl I know. Here's to a great summer break with no summer school! Let's celebrate tomorrow. How about dinner at my house? I hope these flowers made you smile- I love your smile and I love you –Makoto_

Makoto loved her. And Misaki cheated on him. The thought made Misaki begin to tremble as she dropped the letter onto the table. Hands ran through her hair as she began pacing around the living room. _What have I done?_ The question wouldn't leave her mind as she tried her hardest not to cry but she couldn't help it.

"Ugh," Misaki's knees gave out as they hit the wooden floor beneath her. She tried to stand but couldn't, the weight was just too much. The weight of her actions of what she had just done to the most kind-hearted person she had ever met. For months Misaki had been telling Makoto she loved him yet she was so quick to cheat on him.

Cheat. Misaki had cheated. She was a cheater. And now it was up to her to clean up the mess she had made.

* * *

"Misaki!"

If a stranger had seen the twins they wouldn't think they could scream so loud or run so fast. The door wasn't even fully open before they came barreling out of the house straight towards the noirette. Updates about their lives and questions over where she had been spewed out of their mouths so fast that it left Misaki's head spinning.

"Okay, okay."

His voice was light and airy and made Misaki feel sick. She slowly looked up to see Makoto leaning against the doorframe. His arms were crossed over his chest and a smile was on his face- a smile directed at Misaki. A smile she simply could not return.

"How about we go inside huh?" Misaki suggested to his babbling twin siblings who began feverishly nodding their heads before grabbing Misaki's hands to lead her inside.

"Hold on a second," Makoto said, placing a strong and gentle hand on Misaki's forearm, "You guys go on inside we'll be right there."

After a few whines from Ren and Ran the pair went inside, leaving Makoto and Misaki alone. Fear jolted through Misaki's spine as she wondered why he wanted to be alone. Although it was an irrational thought Misaki couldn't help but think that somehow Makoto found out and now he was going to confront her. Her mind immediately started coming up with petty excuses and long winded apologies. Regret mixed with dread was beginning to fill her body but instead of talking Makoto leaned down and grazed his lips against hers.

Misaki was sure that once his lips hit hers Makoto would pull away in disgust. She was positive that the taste of Rin still lingered on her mouth and that Makoto would be able to tell that those lips he had captured so many times before had just recently been taken by someone else. Instead he ran his fingers up Misaki's cheek before burying his hand in her raven hair. Then he rested his forehead on hers and whispered three words that nearly broke Misaki's façade.

"I love you."

Arms that had been hanging by her side flung themselves around Makoto's neck. Weight shifted to the balls of her feet as she kissed him. No words left her mouth instead she continued to try to erase the mark Rin had left. Soon her lips would be swollen and pink from kisses shared with Makoto. His cologne would transfer onto her clothes and his touch would soothe the burns Rin's hands had left on her body.

"I love you," Misaki mumbled against Makoto's lips and she tried to fill it with as much honesty as she could. She tried to transform those three words into 'I'm sorry' but no apology would lift her shame.

The smile that came to Makoto's face made Misaki's stomach clench with guilt. A cheater like her shouldn't be able to make him smile like that. His lips were soft and wet as they met hers once more but before the act could continue a loud string of 'ewwww's rang out from inside the house.

"Guys," Makoto sighed as he looked to see his siblings shouting out things like 'gross!' and 'ew!' at having caught him and Misaki kissing.

At hearing the commotion Mrs. Tachibana was quick to appear in the doorframe behind her youngest children, "Ren, Ran, leave your brother and Misaki alone. Oh and Misaki! Congratulations on your math grade. "

Makoto began to rub the back of his head as Misaki sent him a look that asked 'you just had to tell your whole family didn't you?'. "Thanks Mrs. Tachibana."

"Makoto you should probably check the pasta so it doesn't overcook."

Misaki's eyebrow rose as she looked up at her boyfriend who was telling his mother that he'd be right there. "You're cooking?"

"I wanted to cook for you," his shoulders raised into a small shrug, "Hopefully it tastes okay."

Misaki took a moment to stare at the young man standing next to her. He was undoubtedly attractive. Every girl in their grade could admit that and also could admit to being jealous of Misaki for having shared her first kiss with him. Little did they know that Misaki was also Makoto's first kiss. He was the ideal boyfriend. He was caring and always put Misaki above himself. The only thing Misaki had done was get a C in math yet Makoto found it necessary to buy her flowers and cook her dinner in celebration. Misaki was marveling at how wonderful Makoto was when her mind began replaying the feeling of Rin's rough hands running up and down her bare sides.

"You okay?"

Misaki knew that she had visibly flinched as she tried to get the image out of her head. "Yeah," she muttered, looking up and giving Makoto a reassuring smile, "Let's go inside and make sure you didn't burn our dinner."

* * *

The dinner wasn't burnt but it also wasn't necessarily good. Apparently years of watching Haru make a disgusting amount of mackerel didn't help Makoto's cooking skills. As they were doing the dishes Makoto even told Misaki that Haru had texted him today saying he could come over and help Makoto make dinner if he made mackerel. Makoto denied and reminded Haru that Misaki _hated_ mackerel to which Haru texted back 'she just hasn't had enough of it yet'. At hearing the story Misaki let out a groan followed by a laugh. If Misaki had a dime for every time Haru tried to force her to eat mackerel she was sure she'd be a millionaire by now.

After cleaning up, the couple was harassed by Ren and Ran who wanted to play video games with them. All Makoto could do was open and close his mouth while looking at Misaki for guidance. The boy had never been good at saying 'no' to not only his siblings but to anyone. Lucky for the twins Misaki loved them like they were her siblings and was quick to agree to spend some time playing with them.

Makoto and Misaki figured they'd play one or two games with the twins but those one or two turned into two hours of Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. Misaki always played as Pikachu though Makoto suggested that maybe if she played as someone else she wouldn't lose so much. The girl simply wouldn't listen and instead when she lost she would yell out 'thunderbolt!' and punch Makoto in the arm. Ren and Ran would then follow suit, totally forgetting about the game so they could hand on Makoto while yelling out random Pokemon attacks. Soon the twins had to go to bed, leaving Misaki and Makoto sitting alone on the living room floor with the Brawl theme playing from the TV speakers.

"I can't believe they beat me," Misaki pouted, referring to how Ren and Ran consistently outperformed her in the game. Arms stretched up momentarily before Misaki lay back, resting her head on Makoto's lap.

"Maybe you should-"

"No!" Misaki reached her hands up so they touched Makoto's cheeks, "Pikachu fo life."

Makoto let out a chuckle as he placed one hand on Misaki's stomach, his other hand twisting strands of Misaki's hair around his index finger. "Then you'll just keep losing."

"Shh," Misaki placed one finger over Makoto's lips before letting out a sigh and dropping her arms away from his face, "Why are you so attractive?"

"Huh!?"

Misaki couldn't help but giggle at the light blush that came to Makoto's face and how his mouth hung open for a few seconds before snapping shut. "And tall. You're so tall."

"That's an odd question to ask," Makoto muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't think I'm that attractive."

Both eyebrows rose as Misaki raised one arm and tapped Makoto's nose, "You're also very humble."

"Well what about you," Makoto tapped Misaki's forehead, causing her eyebrows to knit together, "Why are you so beautiful?"

She wanted to laugh because in her mind she wasn't beautiful at all. She was too plain to be beautiful. There was nothing about her that screamed out 'beautiful'. She was a solid five feet five inches which was basically around the same height as all the girls in her grade. Her hair was plain old black and hit her ribs. Without styling it was wavy but Misaki made sure to straighten it almost every day. All in all Misaki was average, not ugly, not beautiful just plain average. Soon the mocking laugh leaked through Misaki's lips as she rolled her eye, "I'm not."

"Yes you are." Had anyone else said it Misaki would have thought they were lying because who would look her dead in the eye and call her ugly. But when Makoto said it, with that twinkle in his eye and a smile on his lips, Misaki knew he was being completely honest. He thought she was truly and wonderfully beautiful.

"You're blushing," Makoto pointed out, gently touching Misaki's right cheek, "It's cute."

"Stop it," she muttered, pushing Makoto's hand away from her face, "I'm not blushing."

All Makoto could do was smile before leaning down and kissing her. The first kiss caused Misaki to lean up, the second had her in a seated position, and the third had her straddling Makoto as he rested his back against the front of the couch. Misaki was perfectly content with her lips on Makoto's as he gently ran his fingers over her back. She could have stayed like this forever but the low ping of her phone brought her out of this bliss.

"It's probably Azami," Misaki whispered as she kissed Makoto once more before digging her phone out of her back pocket.

Misaki had managed to suppress her guilt and simply enjoy her time with her boyfriend. She had been foolish enough to think that she could ignore what had happened last night. The text she just received immediately brought back all the guilt as the thought of Rin's hot breath up against her ear resurfaced in her mind. It was only one word. A simple 'hey' that managed to cause Misaki's breathe to get caught in her throat.

"Who is it?"

"No one," Misaki answered much too quickly as she tore her gaze away from Rin's text and gave Makoto a forced smile. She quickly locked and silenced her phone and then slid it across the floor, trying to get it as far away as possible. Misaki was still straddling Makoto as she leaned in and softly kissed his neck causing his breath to hitch and his mind to wander away from whoever had just texted his girlfriend. Her teeth grazed over the smooth skin of his throat as she continued telling herself the lie she had just told Makoto. _It's no one_.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Did this chapter make anyone a MakoSaki shipper?

_InsomniaticActs:_are you rooting for Makoto a little more now? And yes! there are so many questions but they will all be answered in due time

_HellOnTheEngine:_ ah I'm so happy that you like my OC! I do try to make her as non Mary Sue as possible and to keep everyone in character so your compliment means a lot to me.


	8. Avoidance

**CHAPTER EIGHT: AVOIDANCE**

* * *

_One year ago_

"I think Makoto likes you."

"Don't say that."

"Why?"

"I don't need that voodoo put on me."

"Voodoo!?"

"Yes," Misaki slammed her laptop cover shut, "Voodoo."

Azami let out an over exaggerated sigh as she flopped down onto Misaki's bed, "Any other girl at school would be having a heart attack if Makoto liked them and you have the audacity to call it 'voodoo'."

"Yes plus he doesn't like me in the way you're implying."

"Uh no I'm pretty sure he does. I've seen how he looks at you like he's undressing you-"

"Lalalalala!" Misaki plugged her ears as she paced around her room, not wanting to imagine Makoto undressing anything let alone her.

"Misaki!" Misaki!" by the second shout Azami seemed to reach through Misaki's off-key singing and earn the girl's attention once more, "Why are you acting like this is a bad thing?"

"I don't want a boyfriend." It was an outright lie because Misaki did want a boyfriend but the guy she wanted to date hadn't talked to her in years and as far as Misaki knew was still in Australia.

"You're such a liar!"

Misaki flinched at Azami's high pitched voice as she felt a pillow hit her leg, "I'm not a-"

"Yes! Yes you are! How many guys have you turned down in the last two years huh?"

"I don't-"

"Three!" Azami held up three fingers on her right hand, "Granted one of them was a scumbag but still!"

Misaki sighed as she sat down on her floor, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees, "What's your point?"

"My point is that for some strange reason you can't stand the thought of having a boyfriend. You turn down every guy that asks you out and freak out if a guy even likes you. Unless your goal is to be an unhappy hermit I'm not sure how you can possibly not want a boyfriend."

Misaki stared down at the hardwood floor as she tried to come up with some lie. She hadn't told Azami about Rin but even if she did the blonde simply wouldn't understand. Most people would think Misaki was insane to be turning down guys in the hope that this one guy who she last saw when she was eleven would turn up and sweep her off her feet. It was a ridiculous idea but that ridiculous idea kept the pink bracelet on her wrist day in and day out. But behind the hope was anger. Anger at Rin for cutting off all contact with her. Anger at herself for devoting so much of her life to someone who may never come back.

"I don't want to be a hermit," Misaki mumbled, tapping her nails against the wooden floor, "And well I guess Makoto is pretty cute so it's not really bad voodoo if he liked me," Misaki raised her gaze to see Azami nearly jumping up and down with excitement, "But he probably doesn't even like me like that!"

"Ha, yeah we'll see about that."

* * *

Misaki had no idea what she wanted to do. It had been four days since what Misaki now thought of as _the incident_. Three day of ignoring Rin's texts because what was she supposed to say? 'Oh hey Rin yeah I think what we did was a mistake so let's forget it happened'. Or she could go for a more honest approach and say something like 'I want to kiss you again but that'd be wrong but I really really want to kiss you again'. Then there was always the guilt ridden approach of 'Rin I feel horrible about what happened and I'm pretty sure I'm the worst person ever so please stop texting me'. Or she could just ignore him. Which is exactly what she had been doing.

Ignoring Rin had actually proven to be easier than Misaki expected. After all once she heard Rin was back she spent months avoiding him so four days was nothing. The issue was that while Misaki could ignore his texts she couldn't ignore the memories. She would be doing something mundane like making a sandwich when all of the sudden she would remember how it felt to have Rin's lips on hers. The thought would send a shiver down her spine and cause her to lose track of what she had been doing. It was annoying but okay when she was alone. It was certainly not okay when it happened when she was out with the guys. The lie of 'I got a chill' managed to get old fast but luckily no one questioned her about it. Plus like it wasn't as if they could guess what she was thinking. No one could guess what she had done.

Misaki wasn't the type of girl that screamed 'cheater' or 'liar'. It wasn't like she was some hussy who went crazy at the sight of a male. Heck she didn't get her first boyfriend till ten months ago and they didn't even kiss until five months ago. Yet she had willingly made out with one Rin Matsuoka in a back alley near a McDonalds. Classy.

Along with ignoring Rin over the past three days Misaki also wished her parents safe travels as they left for their six week trip to Europe. Six weeks of being home alone, aka six weeks of relaxation. Azami wasn't a fan of Misaki's plans for being home alone. She thought Misaki should throw wild parties and have week-long sleepovers and basically be a rebellious teenager for six weeks but Misaki had gotten very good at telling Azami 'no' and following through. Unfortunately Misaki could never follow through with a certain blonde haired pink eyed freshman.

It all started when Makoto mentioned in passing that Misaki's parents would be out of town. She and the swim team had all gotten together on Sunday to eat ice cream and hang out. Instead what ended up happening was Nagisa begged Misaki for them to have a party at her house. Misaki immediately said 'no' which then made Nagisa beg everyone else to ask Misaki to let them have a party. Soon she was telling not just Nagisa 'no' but also Rei, Makoto, and even Haru who threw in his petty request for a party. Finally after an hour Misaki caved and since it would only be the five of them and Gou she figured it couldn't be _that_ bad. She was wrong.

On a simple Tuesday night Misaki found her house overrun by four swimming males and the sister of the guy she just cheated on her boyfriend with. Here Misaki thought she had moved past her issues with Rin and become friends with Gou. Now Misaki could barely look at the girl without thinking of _the incident_.

"Misaki!" Nagisa carried out the last syllable of her name as he ran out from the kitchen, "We need more popcorn."

Misaki was firmly planted on the couch in the living room, too afraid to go into the kitchen to see the messes the boys and Gou were making, "Then go buy some."

"Noooo!" Misaki felt two arms fling over the back of the couch and onto her shoulder as Nagisa began whining directly into her ear, "I brought lots and lots of snacks and you put it somewhere and I can't find it so you need to find it!"

"Nagisa," Misaki laughed, the boy's breath tickling her ear, "Stop it!"

"C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!"

"Makoto, I think Nagisa is harassing your girlfriend," Haru stated calmly as he walked out into the living room, a plastic bag in his hand, "I found the popcorn."

Nagisa released Misaki and did a jump for joy before attacking the blue eyed teen in a hug, "Yay Haru!"

Misaki could hear Haru order Nagisa to get off of him followed by the sound of Nagisa basically running back into the kitchen with the bag of snacks. Soon the sound of the popcorn maker and cabinets slamming shut met Misaki's ears causing her to flinch. She loved those boys like brothers but this was definitely not in her plans for summer break.

"Hey Misaki," the girl's voice startled her as she looked to her left to see Gou bounding into the living room, "The boys want us to pick the movie."

"They're in the office so the second door-"

"Just come with me."

Gou's hand latched onto Misaki's arm and although no one could have guessed it the maroon haired girl had some strength. With a strong tug she forced Misaki off the couch and dragged her into the office. There the girls stared at a bookshelf full of DVDs while maintaining a pretty shallow level of conversation.

"I don't want a comedy," Gou said to herself as she tapped her chin, "How is your summer break going so far Misaki?"

_Oh you know I just made out with your brother aka cheated on my boyfriend so all in all it's been pretty horrific. _"Good," Misaki shrugged forcing thoughts of Rin out of her mind, "You?"

"Boring," Gou sang as she let out a huff, "This is the only exciting thing I've done all week."

Misaki thought about pointing out how it was only Tuesday therefore Gou had many more days left this week to do exciting things but figured it'd be best to not be a smart-ass towards the girl. Instead she nodded her head in agreement and offered up the fact that they were sure to do more fun things over the break.

"We're going to start up practice again next week," Gou stated as she took a movie off the shelf, eyed it for a moment then placed it back, "I'm thinking five days a week for five hours a day, do you think that's too much?"

Misaki's face must have given away her answer as Gou shrugged and mumbled something about maybe cutting the time down. Soon the conversation turned to what movie genre to watch. Both girls unanimously decided on watching a scary movie which led them to picking out The Grudge. Once the movie was picked Misaki just wanted to sit back down on the couch but Gou insisted that she hang out with them in the kitchen.

Upon walking into her kitchen she noticed two large pizzas that they had ordered earlier and a solid six large bowls of popcorn with more being made. All Misaki could do was let out a sigh before decided that she wasn't about to stop them from making messes so she may as well enjoy it. After eating two slices of pizza and helping make popcorn the group was ready to settle down for the movie. They brought all the popcorn out into the living room along with numerous blankets and pillows which they set down on the floor in front of the couch. Everyone wanted to sit on the floor leaving Misaki and Makoto the couch. The couch could sit three which left Misaki with enough room to lie down and rest her head on Makoto's lap. It was perfectly comfy with the blanket placed over her and Makoto rubbing her back. All was well until the sound of the doorbell rang out.

"Is it the pizza guy again?" Misaki asked, praying to god that no one had ordered more pizza.

"No it's Rin."

Nagisa's words were clear as day but Misaki was still hoping she had heard him incorrectly. Without a word she sat up straight and watched as the blonde leaped over people to get to the front door.

"You invited my brother?" Gou asked, also sitting up so she could get a better view of the door.

"Yeah! I figured it wouldn't be a real group get together if I didn't invite Rin!"

If Misaki wasn't in shock she would have gotten up and punched the blonde right in the esophagus. She would have barricaded the door and commanded that everyone stay silent so Rin would think no one was home. Then she'd learn magic and cast a spell on everyone so no one remembered her outburst. Too bad Misaki couldn't do any of these things. Instead she sat close to Makoto, her hazel eyes watching the door and wishing that when it opened up it'd be the pizza guy, or a zombie, or anyone other than Rin.

"Rin!"

_Fuck my life_. Misaki watched as Nagisa gave Rin a hug- much to the latter's disapproval. A few curse words later Rin was inside the house and staring at a certain noirette who was seated on the couch. While everyone else was saying their hellos Misaki stared down at her thighs while playing with the hem of her black cotton shorts. She was waiting for Rin to say something to her but his comments passed right over her. Apparently he was clued in on the game Misaki was playing- the ignoring game. Because of this Misaki figured Rin would sit as far away from her as possible and allow her to pretend that he wasn't here.

"So what are we watching?" Rin asked as he stepped over Rei and took a seat on the couch.

At seeing Rin sit right next to her Misaki abandoned the game and decided to say her first words to Rin since that night, "I was going to lay down."

Rin raised one eyebrow at Misaki before looking down at the couch he was sitting on, "Then where do you suggest I sit?"

_Anywhere but here_. Misaki looked around the room and noticed how full the space in front of her couch already was. Nagisa was lying flat on his back with three pillows propped behind him. Rei was next to him and couldn't extend his legs out all the way lest he kick Gou who was lying horizontally. Haru was on the other side of Nagisa and any space next to him was taken up by bowls of popcorn and cans of soda.

"We're watching The Grudge," Haru answered Rin's question without even bothering to look up at him.

Nagisa then reached over Haru to grab a bowl of popcorn before offering it to Rin, "Here you go."

"Thanks," Rin said as he took the bowl and placed it in his lap. He then slid off his Samezuka jacket and grabbed a pillow off the floor and placed it behind his back. The guy was in the process of getting comfy meaning he had no intention of moving.

"Maybe you should move Rin," Rei stated as he turned to look up at the three people currently sitting on the couch, "Misaki doesn't look very happy."

"She'll get over it," Rin mumbled through a mouthful of popcorn, "Just start the movie already."

Misaki wanted to protest because she wasn't about to just 'get over it' but any words she was about to say got drowned out by the sound of the movie. Soon Gou got up to turn off the lights in order to provide a scary atmosphere for the movie. And that's how Misaki ended up sandwiched on her couch in the dark between her current boyfriend and the guy she cheated on him with. Fantastic.

* * *

"Eek!"

"Makoto nothing even scary happened!"

"I-I know I-I'm n-not scared just h-hold my hand okay?"

Misaki wasn't sure what was worse. Having Makoto clinging to her due to his fear of the movie or hearing Rin chuckle under his breath every time Makoto jumped and squeezed Misaki's hand so hard she let out a yelp of pain.

"It's not funny," Misaki hissed under her breath as she looked to her left to see Rin smirking in the darkness.

"Ah!" Another whispered scream and Makoto grabbed Misaki's shoulder and pulled her into his chest as if using her as a shield. Rin didn't even have to say anything. All he had to do was look to his right and smirk.

"Oh my gosh we are never watching a scary movie ever again," Misaki muttered as she tried to get Makoto to release his death grip on her shoulder but it wasn't working.

"Yo," a hand reached out across Misaki's face and latched onto Makoto's hand, "You're gonna break her arm."

All Misaki could do was look between Rin's serious face and Makoto's scared to death face. With a strong pull Rin forced Makoto's hand off of her shoulder leaving the girl free to stand up and remove herself from the situation. "I'm going to get more popcorn," she mumbled, picking up an empty bowl from the floor as she headed towards the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen Misaki noticed some popcorn sitting in a bowl on the counter. Instead of grabbing that bowl she decided to make fresh popcorn because that would take longer and Misaki wanted to be out of that living room for as long as possible. She wanted to be away from Makoto and Rin for as long as possible.

"Hey."

His voice made her shiver and groan in frustration. She wanted to get away from her problems but looks like the problem followed her into the kitchen, "What?" she asked, turning on the balls of her feet to see Rin with his hand in the popcorn bowl.

"I didn't know Makoto was such a wimp, granted he was always pretty fragile when we were kids but I didn't think he'd be the one wearing the skirt in the relationship."

Misaki rolled her eyes, turning back around and pouring popcorn into the machine, "If you came in here to make fun of him you might as well just go back out there cause I really don't want to hear it."

"No, the reason I came in here was to ask you why you've been ignoring me."

"I don't think it's that hard to figure out," Misaki mumbled, feeling her cheeks begin to warm as she kept her back towards the shark toothed male.

"Look," Rin huffed, pushing his hair back, "I've been thinking about what happened and-"

"Can we please not talk about it here?"

"Huh? Why not?"

Misaki turned around, a dumbstruck look on her face, "Uh I dunno because maybe my boyfriend is sitting out in the other room?"

She could see Rin visibly flinch at the word 'boyfriend'. "So you haven't told him?"

"I don't know why I would," Misaki whispered, the sound of the popcorn maker filling the silence that was left in the wake of her words.

The pair stood in awkward silence until the popcorn was done. Although Misaki didn't ask for any help Rin was quick to aide her in pouring the kernels into the large pink plastic bowl. His proximity made Misaki's head fill with thoughts of his lips. The nagging feeling wouldn't leave her alone until she forced herself to move away from him and busy herself with grabbing the other already made bowl of popcorn.

"Hey," Rin's voice met her ears as she was about to exit the kitchen, "Can you stop ignoring my texts?"

"Sure."

"And can we get together to talk sometime?"

"You're being really needy you know that right?" It had been a joke but as Misaki turned to look at Rin she realized that he wasn't about to laugh. Something was on his mind, something that looked to be bothering him the longer he thought about it.

"Rin?" her voice grabbed his attention, pulling it away from his thoughts as he met her gaze, "I'll text you tomorrow so we can plan a time to talk."

"Gre-"

Before the word could leave Rin's mouth a very stern looking Rei strutted into the kitchen and grabbed Misaki's wrist. "Not only are you missing the movie but Makoto-senpai has begun clinging to me whenever anything scary happens," he explained as he began pulling Misaki out of the kitchen.

"What am I supposed to do about that?"

"You're his girlfriend- figure something out."

Misaki didn't even think to turn around as she was being led out of the kitchen by Rei. If she had she would have noticed the smile on Rin's face instantly disappear at Rei using the word 'girlfriend'. She would have seen the hurt flash in Rin' eyes and his hands ball into fists because Misaki wasn't supposed to be Makoto's girlfriend, she was supposed to be his.

* * *

**Author's Note: **so I may or may not have been listening to the new Katy Perry album on repeat when I realized that one of the songs on the album describes Misaki's feelings towards Rin when he stopped writing her PERFECTLY. the song is called Ghost and you guys should all totally go listen to it and let me know what you think. I also broke my streak of using Taylor Swift lyrics...whoops

_Pinkychick1_: Misaki is totally the one who acts funny over what happened while Rin is just like 'whatever'. When writing this chapter I felt like Rin wouldn't really act differently around her but that he really needs to talk to her since he hasn't really been able to comprehend what happened. If anything it's Misaki who is acting differently by ignoring him.

_InsomniaticAct_: I feel like as the story goes on most people will probably root for RinSaki but they'll feel bad for Makoto cause of what the poor guy will have to go through but alas! I've already said too much!


	9. Can't Have You, Can't Let You Go

**CHAPTER NINE: CAN'T HAVE YOU, CAN'T LET YOU GO**

* * *

True to her word Misaki texted Rin the next day to plan a time to get together too bad she really _really_ didn't want to have to talk to Rin about _the incident_. So instead of meeting right away Misaki came up with a ridiculous amount of excuses. She had to walk her neighbor's dog. She couldn't find her house keys. She didn't feel good. Her house had been robbed my pigeons and now she was stuck talking to the pigeon police. Okay so the last one wasn't given out as an excuse but if Misaki kept it up pretty soon she'd have to use nonsensical reasons like that. She managed to put off the meeting for a good five days. She was hoping to make it a week before she was forced to confront Rin but that wasn't about to happen.

Misaki had been eating M&Ms and watching a Sixteen and Pregnant marathon when she heard the loud banging on her door. After mumbling about how whoever was outside must be an idiot to not ring the doorbell she peeked through the peephole to see that she in fact knew the idiot.

"I know you're home," Rin shouted from outside the door as he continued knocking, "Just open up the fucking door already."

Misaki didn't open the door. Instead she ran upstairs faster than she thought possible. She hadn't planned on going anywhere today so she had yet to shower or change out of her hot pink pajama pants. As she sprayed dry shampoo in her hair she could hear Rin banging on the door and yelling more profanities. The boy really had developed a potty mouth.

Normally Misaki would spend half an hour trying to figure out what to wear but with the boy causing a riot outside of her door she had a whole minute and a half. This led to Misaki throwing on an oversized plain white-t shirt and some dark washed skinny jeans. For makeup she managed to put on some black eyeliner and mascara but around this time Rin seemed to find the doorbell and was now obsessively ringing it.

"Oh my god!" Misaki hissed as she ran down the stairs, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to get all the dry shampoo out, "I heard you the first time."

Any nervousness that Misaki had about Rin being at her door had been replaced by anger at his antics. Seriously, no one needs to ring a doorbell fifty times. Misaki swung the door open with more force than necessary and although she tried not to she was sure she was glaring up at the male, "You didn't have to rape my doorbell."

"Then why didn't you answer the first time?"

Misaki watched as Rin pushed past her, entering her home without an invitation. "Cause."

"You watch this crap?"

He was referring to Sixteen and Pregnant, which was still playing on the TV. His eyes lingered on the TV ears perked as he listened to one of the moms fight with her baby daddy. "It's informative television," Misaki said as she gently closed the door, "So why the random house visit?"

Rin walked towards the couch, sitting down and resting his elbows on his knees, "Because you said we'd meet to talk."

That she had. "You could have texted me to let me know you were coming."

"You would have made up an excuse," Rin looked over his shoulder to see Misaki still standing by the door, "You're a terrible liar, even over text."

Misaki wanted to deny this but it was no use. Instead she let out a pent up exhale and went to sit on the couch. She could have sat right next to Rin, in fact that is what she wanted to do but instead she found herself huddled on the other end of the couch. Rin noticed where she was sitting and slid closer to her, causing Misaki to visibly flinch.

Rin's head dropped, his hands balling into fists momentarily, "Stop acting like that," he breathed.

"Like what?" she asked, but there was no need. Misaki knew exactly how she was acting. Like she was scared of confronting what had happened with Rin.

Rin didn't answer, instead he stared down at the floor for a few minutes as if trying to find the words to express what he had been feeling. The sound of Sixteen and Pregnant filled the silence but once Rin looked up he grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.

"What do you think of me?" Rin asked, looking at Misaki through his peripherals

"That's kind of vague," Misaki muttered, "Um I dunno I think you're….tall?"

"That's not what I meant," Rin grumbled as he began nervously tapping his right foot, "Do you, argh, do you."

"Do I…?"

"Look just do you like me or?"

The question was mumbled and full of embarrassment. Even as children Rin always had a hard time expressing his emotions and that trait hadn't gone away. Misaki wondered how many times he had rehearsed that question. How many times he walked around his room pulling his hair as he tried to figure out a way to ask her what he was dying to know. The thought of this question plaguing Rin's mind made Misaki inwardly smile, but the answer she knew she would give made her outwardly frown.

"I have a boyfriend," she breathed, "I can like you as a friend but not as anything more."

Misaki couldn't bring herself to look at Rin though she could imagine his reaction. She had basically just turned him down, after all they had been through here she was telling him that they couldn't be more than friends.

"Then why did you kiss me?"

"You kissed me," she corrected, "And it was…" W_onderful. Perfect. Everything I've ever hoped for._ "A mistake."

This time she saw it. The obvious hurt that flashed through Rin's eyes. The anger that was welling up inside of him. She could see it because she felt the same way. She was angry about what happened and how in order to be a good person, a good girlfriend, she would have to reject Rin. Reject him. Just the thought of that made Misaki feel sick because for years Rin was all she ever wanted and now he was here and she simply couldn't have him.

"Then you should take that fucking bracelet off."

"Don't get mad," she whimpered trying to hold back tears.

"Whatever," Rin mumbled, pushing himself off the couch and making his way towards the door.

He was leaving. He was walking out her house, of her life. Misaki knew Rin. After this he wouldn't try anymore. He'd bottle all of his emotions and distance himself from her, just like he had done with the team. She'd become a stranger, an enemy, the girl who broke his heart. She'd lose him again but this time she had a choice. This time she could see him separating himself from her. This time she wouldn't let him get away.

Misaki tried to think of words that would stop Rin from leaving. In those few seconds she rummaged through her mind for the right thing to say but she couldn't find it. Instead she rushed off of the couch. She ran past Rin, stopping in front of him to block the exit. As his mouth opened to tell her to move Misaki seized the opportunity.

Rin's intoxicating smell filled her nostrils as she hungrily captured his lips. Her tongue ran over his bottom lip eliciting a low moan from Rin whose hands had quickly wrapped around Misaki's waist. His lips were moist and soft as they loosely pressed against hers. A fire began building in Misaki's stomach as she pushed her body closer and closer to Rin's until with a loud pant she shoved him away.

"I'm such an awful person!" Misaki groaned as she began pacing around her living room.

Mid-step Misaki stopped to see Rin raising one eyebrow while touching his lips. He looked to be both confused and aroused and if he didn't wipe that cute look off his face Misaki was afraid she'd kiss him again.

"Huh?," Rin muttered as he took a step closer to Misaki only to watch her take a step backwards, "Hey! Stop that and just come here already."

"I'm an awful person," Misaki repeated as she shook her head left and right, "I tried to lie to you but I couldn't and now I just ugh!"

She was rambling but Rin managed to pick out one word from her previous statement. "What did you lie to me about?"

Misaki's eyes widened before she turned her gaze down to the floor, "That it was a mistake," she muttered looking up to see an unreadable expression on Rin's face though if she had to guess she'd say he looked pleased

"Don't get me wrong though!" Misaki shouted, pointing a finger at Rin, "What we did was not good, well it _was_ good but," a deep inhale filled Misaki's lungs as she calmed herself down, "Rin, I'm a _cheater_."

"So?"

He had cocked an eyebrow as he said the simple word that made Misaki want to scream. "So? _So_?" Her voice rose the second time she said the word and her eyes dramatically rolled, "So last time I checked infidelity is kinda a big deal because it's wrong and wrong and I dunno _wrong_."

"Misaki haven't you ever heard the phrase 'it takes two'? Makoto is my _friend_ so how do you think this makes me feel?"

Misaki had never stopped to think about how this would affect Rin, but once she did the guilt only became worse. Makoto and Rin had been friends for just as long as Misaki and Rin and although he didn't always show it she knew that Rin valued all of his friendships. Misaki also knew how much Makoto valued Rin and considered him to be a good friend. Now his good friend was making out with his girlfriend. If Misaki had been cheating on Makoto with a stranger she felt the betrayal wouldn't be as bad. But she had cheated with Rin, someone who Makoto knew very very well.

"Well," Misaki breathed, "What do you want to do?"

Rin stayed silent for a moment before letting out a frustrated groan, "If only I'd kept writing you."

"Don't blame yourself," Misaki replied even though Rin's statement had been rhetorical.

"I can't help it," Rin sadistically snickered, "You're not the first thing in my life that I've lost, I'm sure you won't be the last either."

The hurt in Rin's eyes made Misaki's stomach clench as she desperately wished that things could be different. "You didn't lose me," she whispered as she took slow steps back towards Rin.

"Ha! Thanks but last I checked you're dating Makoto and not me."

She could hear the venom in his voice as he scratched the back of his neck, his gaze off to the side and his lips turned downward. As she wrapped her arms around his waist she could feel his body jerk from surprise.

"Whataya doing?"

"Hugging you stupid," Misaki muttered as she pressed her cheek against Rin's chest.

"You're a pain in the ass," Rin sighed as he gently wrapped his arms around Misaki's shoulders and pulled her closer.

A small laugh left Misaki's mouth as she felt him hug her back and she couldn't deny how good it felt to be held by Rin. "I don't want to lose you," she whispered, closing her eyes as she heard Rin's next exhale get caught in his throat.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she nodded, nuzzling into his chest, "And about your question, you know the one about if I like you?"

"Uh-huh," Rin mumbled as he rested his chin on top of Misaki's head.

"Well do you remember how I used to sign my letters?" her cheeks began to burn as she remembered all those times she signed 'I love you' "Let's just say that if I was going to write you a letter now I'd sign it the same way."

"Heh yeah well same for you." The words came out muttered and soft but they made Misaki's heart swell as she released Rin from the hug only to grab his hand and begin tugging him towards the couch.

"Watch TV with me," she stated happily as Rin allowed himself to be pulled and then placed on the couch.

"I don't just have all day to sit around and watch your shitty teen dramas."

Misaki decided to ignore Rin's insult about her TV preferences and instead turned on her TV and Xbox so she could find something to watch off of Netflix, "We can watch a movie then," she stated as she sat down next to Rin, "Plus what else could you possibly have to do today? It's summer break."

"Not for me, I had to ditch my last class just to come here and swim practice starts in about," Rin paused to look at his wrist watch, "Thirty minutes."

"Oh my gosh then you need to get going!" Misaki dropped the Xbox controller on the floor as she began trying to pull Rin up from the couch, but this time he wasn't as compliant.

"Jeez calm down its fine if I miss one practice. Plus it's not like we've even figured out what to do about all this."

"I think we should just watch a movie," Misaki shrugged as she sat back down, "Or you can go to swim practice."

"I'm not going and I don't know how watching a movie is going to solve any of our problems."

"It's not," Misaki breathed as she leaned down to pick up the controller, "But I have no idea what else to do. All I know is that I want you around."

"So now you're okay with being a cheater?"

The word made Misaki cringe as she scrolled through the recently added list on Netflix, "Hanging out with someone isn't cheating. Just don't kiss me and we'll be alright."

"I make no promises," Rin grumbled before reaching over and snatching the controller from Misaki's hands, "You're taking too long I'll just pick."

Although Misaki couldn't pick she managed to lead Rin through the selections with a variety of noises. When Rin was going through all the manly action movies she snorted, earning his attention. As he looked at her he sighed and moved to another genre. Finally Misaki managed to get him into the comedy section where he picked an unknown title and threw the Xbox remote to the side.

"So," Rin began as he slouched down into the couch, "What are you going to tell Makoto?"

"Nothing."

"Are you going to break up with him?"

Misaki let out a sigh as she pulled her legs up onto the couch, "I don't know Rin," as she looked to the side she could see that this answer disappointed him, "It's complicated so until I figure something out you and I can hang out."

"_Just_ hang out?"

"Yes," Misaki said as she lightly punched Rin in the shoulder, "The one thing I do know is that I don't want to cheat on Makoto."

Rin turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Any more than I have," Misaki muttered, "So just wait for me to figure it out okay?"

"Heh yeah okay," Rin mumbled as he thought back to the young boy who had once asked a young girl the same request.

* * *

**Author's Note: **what do you guys think Misaki should do? break up with Makoto? not break up with him? some other third option?

_HellOnTheEngine_: I LOVE THAT IDEA. i actually hadn't thought about something like that, well I kind of had, but not in the way you expressed it but don't be surprised if your idea or some version of it shows up in the story!


	10. Jealousy

**CHAPTER TEN: JEALOUSY**

* * *

_Ten months ago_

It was weird. Too weird. Here Misaki had gone out with Makoto on what could be classified as a date. And she had fun. The girl hadn't thought that was possible. How could she possibly get butterflies when looking up at Makoto? How was it possible for her to think so fondly of him when he wasn't even who she truly wanted?

Misaki let out a sigh through her nose as she pushed her hands further into her jacket pocket, "This is weird."

"Huh?" Makoto looked down at his date and noticed how pensive she seemed. The pair had just finished eating dinner and they were now walking through the dark streets back to Misaki's house/

"Not bad weird," Misaki quickly corrected, looking up and giving Makoto a smile, "It's just I didn't think we'd ever be going on a date."

"If it's too weird we don't have to do this again we can-"

"No," Misaki shook her head, "No I really had fun and well we can definitely do this again."

"Really!?"

The way Makoto's face lit up made Misaki giggle. She had never thought Makoto liked her that much, not that she ever paid attention to any guy's feelings towards her. "Yeah," Misaki grinned.

"That's great," Makoto breathed, a silly smile still on his face, "You know I'm really surprised you said 'yes' in the first place. I mean after Rin left you-"

Makoto immediately stopped talking as he looked down to see Misaki's eyebrows furrowed and her top teeth nibbling on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry," Makoto whispered, "I know you don't like to talk about Rin."

"Why would you say that?" Misaki muttered, trying to force her thoughts away from how just by being here with Makoto she was breaking her promise to Rin.

"You became really distant after he left," Makoto explained, "You used to hang out with Haru and me when Rin was around, after that well you kind of disappeared. I mean you really liked Rin right?"

Hazel eyes widened as Misaki's mouth dropped open, "W-What?"

"You were always around him in elementary school; it was easy to see that you liked him."

"Easy?" Misaki raised one eyebrow thinking back to how all the kids in class used to tease her and Rin, "I guess I can see that," she mumbled, running her fingers through her hair.

"And you've never had a boyfriend. I've always wondered why because well someone as pretty and nice as you could easily date someone. I thought maybe you didn't go on any dates because of Rin."

Misaki was stuck between being flattered at being called 'pretty and nice' and wondering when Makoto had the time to come up with that hypothesis. "I," Misaki paused to take in a deep breath, "I did really like Rin, a lot actually."

Misaki had to pause again as she felt tears beginning to well up, "But I was just a stupid girl with stupid hopes and those hopes aren't going to come true," the words came out without any thought and Misaki began to feel embarrassed for being so open with Makoto, "I'm sorry, it's just-"

"You're not really over Rin are you?"

The question both surprised Misaki and hurt her because she could see the disappointment in Makoto's eyes, "I am," she lied as she rolled her shoulders back and said it again with more force, "I'm over him."

* * *

Being just friends with Rin was like trying to force your way into skinny jeans that were a size too small- difficult, uncomfortable, but possible with a lot of hard work. The next week seemed to float by now that Misaki's immense guilt over what had happened with Rin was beginning to dissipate. Sure the girl had no clue what she wanted but she felt that time was erasing that scarlet A on her chest. Over the past week Misaki had the best of both worlds. Makoto took her to a movie on Tuesday and out to dinner on Thursday. Rin stopped by Monday after school to play Xbox with her and on Wednesday they ate takeout at her place.

Although Misaki told herself she was doing nothing wrong by hanging out with Rin she still tried to keep their time together a secret. She wouldn't allow them to do anything outside of her house for fear of being spotted. She also had become pretty good at lying to Makoto about what she was doing when she was with Rin. Misaki knew that Makoto would say he didn't mind her spending time with Rin but that would be a lie.

Makoto had never been oblivious to her feelings towards Rin. That's why when Rin came back Makoto tried his best to keep Misaki away from him. It's the same reason why he took it upon himself to tell Rin about their relationship. Makoto knew from the moment that Rin came back that things between him and Misaki could change. Misaki hated that she fell into that trap, that she proved Makoto right. Things had changed, but she wasn't about to tell Makoto that. Her relationship with Makoto was fine; there was no evidence of Misaki's inner turmoil over what to do about Rin. If Misaki told Makoto about her time spent with Rin she knew that it would worry him. It would cause the change in their relationship to become visible and that was the last thing Misaki wanted.

Makoto wasn't the only one who got lied to over the past week. Misaki had also become a pro at lying to Azami. The blonde had desperately wanted to hang out with Misaki over the break but the latter was too busy living her double life. Every time Azami would text Misaki and ask to hang out a lie would be born. Mostly Misaki would say she was hanging out with Makoto or she just wouldn't respond for five hours and then tell Azami that she had left her phone at home and didn't get her text until then. Azami was not happy with Misaki's lack of communication and often threatened to barge into her house and force some quality time. In order to pacify Azami and keep her from randomly showing up Misaki invited her to an end of summer pool party the boys (aka Nagisa) had decided to throw on Sunday.

The party would be at the Iwatobi High School pool and as far as faculty was concerned it was just another swim practice. With guests. And pizza. And no practicing. So yeah basically what they were doing was not sanctioned by the school but Nagisa managed to spin a convincing tale of how they wouldn't get caught and how much fun it would be.

_Well at least if I get in trouble so will Azami_, Misaki thought sourly as she looked over towards her friend who was walking next to her. Azami noticed her friends gaze and gave her a large smile as she hooked their arms together.

"So we're in agreement right?" Azami asked as she matched her steps with Misaki's. "No swimming just looking hot."

Misaki almost wanted to laugh because it wasn't like she even had a choice in this so called agreement. Azami had showed up at her house with her blonde locks curled and makeup fully done and then began to whine to Misaki how she didn't want to be the only one not swimming. Misaki had in fact been planning on swimming but after thirty minutes of Azami's high pitched whining she was forced into this agreement.

"Yeah," Misaki muttered, feeling ridiculous going to a pool party with her hair perfectly straightened and makeup caked on her face.

"So how are things with you and Makoto?"

Azami's tone of voice let Misaki know exactly what the girl was hinting at. "Good."

"Anything I dunno _exciting_ happen over the past few weeks?"

"We saw a movie Tuesday, it was pretty darn exciting."

Misaki's fake smile caused Azami to scowl as she clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Seriously any other girl with a boyfriend as hot as Makoto and an empty house would do more than just go see a movie."

"Why are you so interested in my sex life?"

"I'm not. It's impossible to be interested in something that doesn't exist."

All Misaki could do was mutter a 'shut up' and listen to her friend begin to cackle. "Yeah well what about you?" Misaki finally snapped after hearing enough of Azami's witch laugh, "How's your sex life Ms. Single?"

Azami quickly stopped the cackling and instead let out one loud 'ha!' as she flipped her blonde locks off of her shoulder, "I'm more like Ms. Single and Ready to Mingle. Sure I may not have a boyfriend but I'm always on the lookout plus I'm prepared if anything should happen. You're still on birth control too right?"

"Oh my god don't talk so loud!" Misaki hissed as she looked around to make sure no one just heard Azami basically yell out the 'b' word. "And _yes_ I am but not for the same horny reasons as you!"

"My reasons are the same as yours- regulate the good ol' period and clear up the skin!"

Misaki rolled her eyes. Azami had been first to get on birth control after complaining to her parents about bad cramps which didn't even exist. The real reason the girl wanted to be on the pill was for when she got a boyfriend which back then she figured she'd have one in no time. Azami had always been the dirty minded one. She had piles of magazines in her room and always read the articles related to sex and then relayed the information to Misaki. It was actually Azami who convinced Misaki to also get on birth control and Misaki's parents being the free birds they are decided that it was an excellent idea.

"Okay can we stop talking about menstrual cycles already," Misaki groaned as her and Azami walked through the Iwatobi High campus.

"Aw but it's fun! So who's gonna be at this shindig?"

"Makoto, Haru, Nagisa, Rei, and Gou."

"And uh who's that stud then?"

Misaki turned to see that Azami had stopped walking and was instead creepily peering through the bushes. "What stud?" the girl asked as she joined her friend and noticed an all too familiar figure standing near the pool.

"He's _hot_," Azami whispered, pulling her head out of the shrubbery, "Do you know him?"

Misaki swallowed down a lump that had formed in her throat as she slowly nodded her head yes, "His name's Rin."

"I like that name," Azami swooned, latching onto Misaki's hand and tugging her along, "You better introduce me okay?"

Misaki didn't even have time to respond because soon she found herself standing in full view of all the party guests with a cheerful Azami at her side. The girl should have figured Rin would be invited, which made her feel utterly stupid for not planning on seeing him here. As her gaze went to meet Rin's she heard a soothing voice from in front of her.

"You look nice," Makoto complimented as he placed his hands on his hips and gave his girlfriend a smile.

"You too," Misaki said without much thought. Her eyes had been torn away from Rin and were now focused on her shirtless boyfriend who looked _way_ too good in a swimsuit.

"You brought Azami," Haru noted, not really a fan of the girl. He already had to deal with one energetic blonde leaving him with no patience for the female counterpart.

"Yup," Azami popped the 'p' before leaning into Misaki and whispering in her ear, "Introduce me to Rin already."

"Uh," Misaki shifted her gaze back to Rin, "Rin, this is my best friend Azami. Azami, this is Rin."

"Nice to meet you," Azami put on her best smile and strutted towards Rin where she extended her hand.

The only response Azami got was a curt 'yeah' and a weak handshake from the male who had his eyes on someone else. Azami didn't even notice seeing as she was too busy staring at Rin's abdominals. Misaki watched as Azami moved closer to Rin and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" Misaki turned to see Makoto eyeing her suspiciously, "Yeah yeah I'm good."

Although the lie was weak Makoto bought it just like Misaki thought he would. What Misaki didn't think he'd do is close the gap between them and place a gentle kiss on her lips. Azami was quick to see and began letting out loud 'ohhs' and 'ahhhs'.

As Makoto pulled away Misaki brought one hand up to her lips. Sure the two always held hands in public but kissing in public was not their thing. In fact it was so out of the ordinary that this counted as the first time any of their friends had seen them kiss. It also counted as the first time Rin had seen them kiss.

_Rin_. Misaki turned to see Rin staring down at the concrete, his hands balled into fists and his eyebrows furrowed. For the past week the two of them had been living a lie. They had been acting as if Misaki was single, as if Makoto wasn't around but that one simple kiss brought Rin and Misaki back into an all too painful reality.

As Misaki looked back at Makoto she saw how his gaze had also turned towards the maroon haired male. His green eyes were serious and if Misaki swore she saw a hint of sadness in them. "Rin looks upset," Makoto whispered before turning and giving Misaki a small smile, "Now I know not to kiss you in front of him."

"Misaki! We need to go change into our swimsuits my dear!"

Before Misaki could respond to Makoto she felt herself being drug off by Azami. "You and Makoto are so cute!" The blonde gushed as she pulled Misaki into the locker room, shutting the door behind them, "Oh and why didn't you tell me you had a hottie friend like Rin? Is he single? Hey? Earth to Misaki!"

The daze Misaki had been put into began to vanish as she noticed Azami frantically waving her hand right in her life of vision, "Yeah," Misaki muttered, clearing her throat as she began to change into her swimsuit, "He's single."

* * *

Any confusion or remorse Misaki had for Rin having to see her and Makoto kiss was quickly thrown out the window as soon as she saw him staring at Azami's breasts. Azami's stupid, perky, C cup boobs that were obviously much more appealing than Misaki's A cup since they managed to hold Rin's attention for a pretty long period of time. Maybe Misaki could get over Rin oogling her best friend, _maybe_ but once Rin actually started flirting with Azami the noirette was 110% done. For the past half hour the two little love birds had been sitting near the snack table and just having a fantastic time and for the past half hour all Misaki could do was sit on a fold out chair and glare at them.

"Misaki. Misaki. Misaki-chan. Saki-chan."

"Don't call me that," Misaki replied looking over towards Nagisa who had a hot pink inflatable ring around his waist.

"He's been trying to get your attention for the past two minutes," Rei chimed in, his arms crossed over his chest, "Are you going to swim or not?"

"Yeah! You should swim!" Gou called from the pool where she had been laying on a yellow inflatable lounger.

"You're not even swimming," Haru stated as he resurfaced for air.

"At least I'm on the water," Gou huffed, readjusting her sunglasses.

"Guys Misaki doesn't have to swim if she doesn't want to," Makoto's gentle voice of reason called from where he stood in the pool.

Misaki flicked her eyes back over to Rin and Azami to see the latter in her fiery red bikini taking a sip from Rin's soda. "Oh I'm swimming," Misaki muttered to herself earning her a 'huh?' from Nagisa.

Misaki could have easily just slipped into the water quietly, but she was so frustrated she couldn't just do that. Instead she walked over towards the desolate end of the pool and without any hesitation cannonballed in. As her body hit the water Misaki forced all of her breath out of her nose. Hazel eyes looked up to see the small bubbles reaching for the surface, distancing themselves from her as her body drifted downwards. Soon her ears began to ring from the pressure and her chest burned from lack of oxygen but she didn't care. Instead she pushed herself even further down, deeper and deeper until the water rejected her and set her back up towards the surface.

She broke the surface with a loud intake of air and a few small coughs. Misaki reached for the edge of the pool to help hold herself up but instead of the concrete her hand landed on a foot. "I thought we had an agreement," a female voice barked softly as Misaki moved her hand to latch onto the edge.

"Changed my mind," Misaki sputtered looking up to see Azami squatting in front of her, her knees touching and a pout on her made up face. Her eyes then noticed Rin who had followed Azami like some sort of lost puppy and that thought alone was enough to make Misaki scowl.

"You look like a pissed off raccoon," Rin said referring the smeared makeup that was now under Misaki's eyes rather than on them.

Misaki nearly said 'fuck off' but bit her tongue, literally. A metallic taste began to fill her mouth but Misaki could care less. "Doesn't look like Rin's going to swim so he can stay land locked with you." Eyes turned away from Rin to give Azami a fake closed lipped smile.

"Hey Azami can you go see if there are any more water bottles?"

The way Rin said her name made Azami swoon and Misaki want to vomit. "Yeah!" Azami beamed, standing up and beginning to bounce over towards the cooler.

"The fuck is your problem?" Rin whispered as he squatted down in front of Misaki.

"Problem? There's no problem," Misaki lied as she continued glaring up at him.

Rin paused for a moment, looking beyond Misaki to see a pair of green eyes watching them, "Look just meet me in the locker room okay?" a moment of silence as Rin waited for a response that didn't come. "Okay?" He repeated, much more forceful this time.

"Fine," the girl muttered as she tried to wipe away the makeup from under her eyes.

Before another word could be said a loud 'got it!' erupted from the busty blonde who was running towards Rin with a water bottle in hand. Misaki let out an audible growl before sinking beneath the water once more and wishing that she would never have to resurface.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I feel like things are moving too slow. Sigh. Starting next chapter I'm gonna try to speed it up.

_HellOnTheEngine: _I hope the beginning of this chapter helped clear things up. So yeah basically Makoto knew that Misaki had feelings for Rin and that Rin had feelings for Misaki. The two of them were pretty much inseparable in elementary school and there is another reason Makoto knew but that will be revealed later. But Makoto doesn't know about the letters or the promise (though he does know Rin gave her that bracelet). Also thanks for your thoughts on the chapter! Your reviews always bring up good questions and new ideas and give me good insight into how I'm doing with the story so thank you so much!


	11. Uncertainty

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: UNCERTAINTY**

* * *

The longer Misaki soaked in the pool the more ridiculous she found Rin's request to be. How in the world were both of them supposed to get in the locker room without someone asking questions? More specifically, without Makoto asking questions. Hazel eyes looked to her right to see Makoto with his arms on the deck of the pool and his eyes closed as he seemed to be relaxing.

"Hey you," Misaki whispered as she poked Makoto's cheek.

His eyes opened slowly arms dropping back into the water to see Misaki treading water right in front of him, "Are you having fun?"

"Mmm yeah," Misaki shrugged, beginning to tire from keeping herself afloat, "I kinda want a floatie thing but Haru said I can't have one."

"Why would he say that?"

Hazel eyes rolled counterclockwise as she recalled the conversation she had with the dolphin boy, "Because the water will respect me more if I float on it by myself or something weird like that."

Makoto couldn't help but laugh as he turned to see Haruka floating on his back on the opposite end of the pool. His gaze then rose to see Azami and Rin sitting next to each other, their feet dangling in the water.

"Haru's gonna look like a nasty old prune whenever he gets out of the water," Misaki mumbled, referring to Haru who had been the first in the water and would certainly be the last out.

"Come here," Makoto reached both hands out, latching onto Misaki's hips and pulling her towards him, "You looked like you were getting tired," the boy explained as Misaki wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Thanks," Misaki whispered, grateful for not having to tread water anymore but feeling embarrassed to be latched onto Makoto like this right in front of Rin though she shouldn't give a damn considering Rin seemed to be content with the busty blonde at his side.

"Rin and Azami seem to be hitting it off."

Misaki _hated_ how Makoto did that, how he seemed to read her thoughts. He did the same thing with Haruka though the blue eyed male didn't seem to mind as much as Misaki did. Sometimes it was sweet to have a boyfriend who could read you like an open book, but most of the time it was aggravating because it forced her to talk about things she would have rather left locked away in her mind.

"Yeah," the word came out sour as Misaki looked to see Azami swinging her legs in the water, a smile plastered on her made up face.

"Maybe we could go on a double date."

Misaki nearly gagged as she looked back towards Makoto only to realize that he was completely serious. "Don't say that to Azami," the girl warned already knowing that the blonde would simply love the idea of a double date.

"Heh okay," Makoto smiled, his hands moving from Misaki's hips to her bare waist, "And we don't have to go on a double date if you don't want to. I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable."

Underneath his kind demeanor Misaki knew what Makoto was hinting at. He didn't want her to have to see Rin going out with another girl because Makoto figured that sight would make Misaki uncomfortable. Was Makoto's thinking right? Of course. Was Misaki going to let him think he was right? No way.

"I think it'd be fun," Misaki chirped, a toothy grin coming to her face as she poked the tip of Makoto's nose.

"Really?"

Misaki felt her stomach tingle at seeing that absolutely adorable shocked face Makoto tended to make. "Yup," she giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing her chin on his left shoulder, "You smell like chlorine," she whispered, pressing her nose into his neck.

The couple stayed like that for a while. Instead of talking they listened to the chattering and laughter of their friends. Misaki wished she could stay with Makoto holding her like this longer but with a huff she wiggled out of his grasp. "Do you think I could get to the vending machines?"

"Um, yeah if you go through the locker room. Do you want me to come with you?"

"Nah I'm good," Misaki stated as she pulled herself out of the pool.

A cool breeze blew past her, causing small goose bumps to form on her skin. Quickly Misaki went and grabbed her towel and tried to dry herself off. She also took a moment to rub the towel on her eyes, noticing just how much makeup she still had caked on there. No one else was at the school so Misaki didn't see the need to get fully dressed just to go to the vending machine/talk to Rin. Instead she wrapped the towel around her bust, dug some dollar bills out of her purse, and began moving towards the locker room.

"Misaki! Where'r you goin!?"

Misaki nearly let out a curse word as she debated to pretend that she didn't just hear Nagisa trying to foil her plans. If she ignored him though the boy would probably run after her, which would not be good. So with a muted sigh Misaki turned around and wave the dollar bills in the air, "Vending machine."

"I wanna come!"

Another curse word ran through Misaki's mind as she flicked her gaze towards Rin to notice him glaring at the pink eyed boy. "If you want something I can just get it for you," Misaki offered, noticing how Nagisa was making his way towards the edge of the pool in order to drag himself out.

"Yeah!?" Nagisa's eyes twinkled as he backed away from the edge of the pool, "I want Cheetos!"

"Misaki can you get me some Fritos?" Azami called.

"I want licorice," Gou said, not bothering to take her eyes off the magazine she had brought.

"Bring me some mackerel."

"Okay one, I didn't say I would bring everyone food," Misaki huffed as she held up one finger, "Two! Haru they don't sell mackerel from a vending machine."

"Then go to the grocery store."

Makoto must have seen that Misaki was about to dive in the pool and hold Haru under until he wanted air more than mackerel because the green eyed boy quickly began to try to pacify the situation, "Misaki you can get some money from my wallet to pay for everyone's snacks. Haru, on the way home I'll go with you to buy mackerel."

"Yay Makoto!" Nagisa cheered, which drowned out Rei's protests to Makoto having to pay for everyone.

"If Makoto is paying then get me some-"

"No," Misaki snapped, cutting off Rin and sending the boy a glare before turning her gaze to Nagisa, "I'll get you Cheetos."

"Woo!" Nagisa threw his arms into the air before looking back at Rin, "And Rinrin gets nothing!"

"Azami I'll get you Fritos, Kou I'll get you licorice, and Rei do you want anything?"

"He wants Cheetos too!" Nagisa shouted before Rei could say a word.

"So four eyes gets something but I don't?" Rin growled, earning some protests from Rei who wasn't a fan of the nickname.

Instead of giving into Rin's pettiness Misaki turned on her heels and began walking towards the pile of clothes that belonged to Makoto. As she dug through Makoto's wallet for some dollar bills she heard Nagisa's cackle mixed with the sound of Rin and Rei arguing.

"Fine!" Rin nearly shouted, pushing himself up from his seated position, "I'll just get my own god damn snacks."

Here Misaki thought Rin was going to be secretive. That he'd wait a few minutes after Misaki had left and then stealthily make his way into the locker room. But instead Rin was angrily pulling a dollar bill from his wallet and making a scene as he went into the locker room. All Misaki could do was stare at Rin's back as he walked right past her and into the locker room, pausing for a second to look at her with a glance that said 'are you coming or not?'. For a moment Misaki thought about not going but her legs had a mind of their own and had her chasing after Rin before her mind could process what was happening.

"I can't believe I got roped into getting everyone snacks," Misaki mumbled to herself as the locker room door closed behind her, "Technically this is all _your_ fault."

"Huh?"

Misaki crossed her arms over her chest as Rin turned to face her, "If you hadn't needed to call a pow wow I wouldn't have turned into the snack mule. So….what you want to talk about?"

"What was your problem out there?"

"I have no idea what you're referring to."

Misaki's comment made Rin growl as he took a step towards her and pointed his index finger in her direction, "Don't play dumb!"

"Don't yell!" Misaki hissed, smacking Rin's finger that was pointing at her, "And the only dumb one here is you since apparently you're not smart enough to know not to eye my best friend right in front of me."

Misaki had an idea what Rin's reaction would be. Shame. Shame for being caught being a dirty perverted dog, but instead the male threw his head back and let out an arrogant laugh. His arms crossed in front of him as he raised an eyebrow at Misaki, who was confused as to why he found this situation funny.

"Sorry to disappoint but your best friend is not my type."

"Then why were you…." Misaki trailed off, lowering her gaze for a moment before a loud gasp left her mouth, "Were you trying to make me jealous!?"

"Don't yell," Rin growled, "And don't flatter yourself."

"So," Misaki's voice fell into a soft whisper as she readjusted the towel she had wrapped around herself, "You were checking her out because you wanted to?"

Rin let out a loud sigh, his arms still crossed over his chest and his head dropping, "You have the most annoying sad face."

Misaki had no idea what to say to that because she was too busy being horribly depressed. Of course Rin would want to check out Azami! The girl was a bombshell! Azami was curvy and busty and outgoing and for the first time in their friendship Misaki found herself completely jealous of her best friend.

"Stop being upset," Rin ordered, as if getting angry would make Misaki be happy, "If it makes you feel better you were right."

The end of Rin's sentence had been mumbled but Misaki still managed to hear it, "About?"

"Trying to make you, you know…jealous."

"You jerk!"

Misaki's hands slammed into Rin's chest with a loud _smack_. Her towel and money fell down to her feet as she raised her hands and tried to hit Rin again. This hit didn't make contact as Rin grabbed her wrists and held her at bay. "Why are you mad!?" Rin asked, bewilderment on his face.

"Because," Misaki groaned as she tried to pull her wrists out of Rin's grasp, "You _used_ my best friend to make me jealous! Why would you even do that!?"

At her question Rin's expression turned serious. He released her wrists and turned to look over at the lockers. "Hello!?" Misaki nearly shouted, roughly pushing Rin's shoulder though it didn't even cause him to flinch.

"Just drop it already," Rin breathed, taking a step back before Misaki could shove him again.

"No, I'm not gonna drop it. What you did was _wrong_ so why did you do it!?"

Misaki took a step forward and poked Rin's bare chest. "I said," at feeling her finger on his skin Rin grabbed her wrist and held it up in the air, "Drop it. Why did it make you so jealous anyway? You seemed pretty happy with Makoto."

The force Rin used to pull her arm into the air caused Misaki to stumble forward. Her free hand landed on Rin's chest in an attempt to keep her balance. With a tug Misaki tried to free her arm but Rin wouldn't let go. "What's that supposed to mean?" Misaki glowered but Rin avoided her gaze in favor of the lockers.

"I'm not your boyfriend Misaki," Rin said softly, "I can do whatever I want with whoever I want just like you can do whatever you want with Makoto."

His words were true, which only made them hurt more. No, Rin wasn't her boyfriend so of course he could do whatever he wanted. Misaki had no right to be jealous or protective of him, but she couldn't help it. "I don't know what you want from me," she whispered, dropping her head to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"I want you to make up your mind. I don't like watching you with him. I don't like you kissing him," the last two words came out as an angry growl that made Misaki flinch.

"Is that why you did it?"

Rin's silence was all the answer Misaki needed. Her heart ached as she realized that Rin had used Azami as a way to get back at Misaki for kissing Makoto. For kissing her boyfriend. "I told you I needed time," she breathed as she felt Rin release her wrist.

"This is stupid," Rin pinched the bridge of his nose while he took a deep breath, "They're probably wondering where we are."

"Probably." Misaki stayed staring down, tears still brimming her eyes. Her stomach was aching from anxiety over what had just transpired and all she wanted to do was go home and sleep.

"I'm gonna come over tonight okay?"

Misaki looked up, a single tear escaping and sliding down her cheek. At seeing the tear Rin sighed and quickly wiped it away. "I'm not mad at you," he explained, bending down and picking up her fallen towel, "So don't act like such a cry baby."

"You still want to hang out with me?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?"

"I know it can't be easy," Misaki said, taking the towel and hanging it off her forearm, "Having to watch me with him."

"Yeah but that's not even the hardest part," Rin nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "Can you cover up already?"

Misaki's eyes fell down to her small bust, which was not as impressive as Azami's. The thought made her face scrunch though it softened as she looked back up at Rin. He seemed nervous as he tried to keep his eyes away from her, as if found her stick like figure attractive. With an inward smile Misaki wrapped the towel around herself and began picking up the fallen dollar bills.

"So where are the vending machines?" Rin asked as the pair moved out of the locker room and down an empty hallway.

"I'll show you," Misaki said, her bare feet padding over the cool tile floor, "And just so you know once Azami gets a guy in her sites she doesn't back off."

"Great," Rin said sarcastically.

Misaki stayed silent for a moment, biting her bottom lip as she mulled over her thoughts. The girl really wanted to ask Rin to avoid Azami or at least not act like such a flirt but she couldn't. What Rin said earlier was right and it had stung Misaki more than she wanted to admit. He wasn't her boyfriend meaning she had zero claim to him. As long as she was stuck deciding between Makoto and Rin the latter was free to do as he pleased. Misaki felt stupid for thinking she could have the best of both worlds. She couldn't expect to be kissing Makoto and having Rin abstaining from all other girls though the thought of Rin being with someone else made Misaki feel nauseous. She wouldn't be able to deal with him moving on, but she knew that unless she made a decision it could happen.

"Oi!"

Shoulders reached for ears as Misaki turned to see Rin staring at her. Misaki lightly bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to hide what she was thinking and act normally. The last thing she needed was Rin calling her out on her thoughts, especially when her thoughts revolved around him.

"Stop spacing out," the male scolded then looked forward once more.

A smile came to Misaki's face as she was reminded how good it felt to not be hanging out with a mind reader like Makoto. Rin had no clue what Misaki was thinking, and in all honestly he probably didn't care which actually made Misaki happy. "Yes sir," her voice lowered an octave as she gave Rin a mock salute. In return the male rolled his eyes.

"Are you still not gonna buy me something from the vending machine?" The shark toothed boy asked as the machine came into view.

"Maybe if you beg," Misaki teased as she rubbed the bills against the edge of the machine in order to get any creases out.

"Never mind then."

The pair stood side by side as Misaki pulled the snacks from the machine, "Hold these," she ordered, tossing the licorice at Rin. His quick reflexes allowed him to catch it, but he still wasn't happy about having to carry some of the snacks back to the pool. Misaki walked back slowly, not excited to have to be around everyone again. Her mind was still racing with thoughts of what to do about Rin, plus her fight with him had given her a headache.

As soon as the two walked out of the locker room they were accosted by two bubbly blondes. The male was snatching Cheetos out of Misaki's arms while the female was standing way too close to Rin. After Azami let out her stream of laughs (though nothing funny had even happened) she took the Fritos from Rin and began walking back towards the pool. Misaki was too busy glaring at the girl to notice the blue eyed boy who had crept up to her side.

"You didn't get mackerel."

Misaki slowly turned her head, her eyebrow twitching as she noticed just how serious Haru was. "Excuse me?"

"You didn't get mackerel," he repeated, which he really shouldn't have.

"I'm going to kill you," Misaki said, her voice high and sweet and a toothy smile on her face.

Haru didn't move. Instead he looked over at Rin, then Makoto (who was quickly coming to Haru's aide), then back at Misaki. "I'm serious," Misaki said noticing how Haru was just staring at her.

"No she's not," Makoto said before letting out a nervous laugh.

"No," Misaki turned to see Makoto coming towards her, "I am."

"I'm gonna help Misaki kill Haru-chan!" Nagisa shouted.

"You can't murder Haruka-senpai!" Rei shrieked, not sure if Misaki was serious or not though based on the look in her eyes she did look capable of killing.

"I'd have to agree with Rei on that one," Gou chimed in from her seat near the pool.

"You better run Haru before we kill you!" Nagisa said before letting out his best evil laugh.

"I'm not going to run," Haru deadpanned.

Without warning Nagisa lunged at Haru, who true to his word didn't run. Instead he let Nagisa hang off of him while simultaneously ordering the boy to get off. That's when Misaki struck. With both arms outstretched she ran at Haru and Nagisa. Considering Haru was already off balance because of Nagisa hanging off him it didn't take much effort to push them both into the pool. Misaki was about to let out her victory lap when she suddenly found herself falling into the water.

The girl was a thousand percent sure it was Rin, but when she resurfaced she was surprised to see Makoto staring down at her. She was about to grab his ankle and pull him in but before she could move forward she was drug under water momentarily. A strong kick brought her back to the surface where she managed to get in a good breath before she was pulled under again.

When she came up she heard Nagisa's laughter, and Misaki turned to see the blonde boy with a devilish smirk on his face. Misaki was about to yell at the boy but once more she felt herself being pulled underwater. By the time air filled her lungs she was beyond done with this little game. Hazel eyes widened slightly as she saw Nagisa give Haru a high five.

"You're right," Haru said as his hand hit Nagisa's, "This is fun."

"Haru I'm going to-" this time she saw Haru reach out and grab her ankle to pull her under, when she came back up she wasted no time in lunging for the boy.

She didn't reach him though because a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and held her back, "Calm down Misaki," Makoto said, "And Haru maybe you should run."

"I'm going to kill you!" Misaki growled as she pushed wet hair out of her face.

"If you got me mackerel none of this would have happened."

"I swear to _god_ Haru I'm going to kill you then go out and kill every single mackerel then bring you back to life only for you to die from mackerel withdrawals."

"That's not even possible," Haru said, his gaze still blank even though there was a seventeen year old girl threatening to murder everything he loved.

"You're not helping yourself," Rin said from where he stood on the pool deck, "You really shouldn't taunt her like that."

"I'm good, I'm good," Misaki said as she stopped struggling and took a deep breath, "I'm calm."

Makoto slowly let Misaki go, but as soon as she was free she latched onto Haru's shoulders and pushed him underwater. Too bad the boy was much stronger than her and easily pushed himself back up despite her best efforts to hold him down. "Are you done now?" Haru asked, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah," Misaki's shoulders slumped as she glanced behind her to see Azami trying to hook her arm through Rin's, "I'm _so_ done."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I had no clue how to end this chapter, so I'm not necessarily happy with the ending. But on the brighter side this update came out faster than usual! A lot of people favorited/added the story to their alert system after last chapter and that added in with the reviews really motivated me to get this chapter out!

Also, just a heads up but the rating of this story will soon go from Teen to Mature. Reasons as to why will be seen later, but yes just a heads up that possibly by the next chapter the rating will go up.

_AmIValid_: You're much too kind! I'm so happy you like the story and you're review was just so nice and sweet and thank you so so much! Thanks for your comment about the pacing, I was unsure about it so your feedback really helped.

_HellOnTheEngine_: Your jabber helps me out so much! Seriously I love when reviewers give me ideas because they help motivate me to write and give me more ideas for the story (so keep em comin!). All the ideas you give me get logged away and you may just see them in upcoming chapters. Also thanks for your feedback on the pacing. Apparently I was the only one being paranoid about moving at the speed of a snail so thanks for letting me know that as far as pacing is concerned it's all good.


	12. Decision

**CHAPTER 12: DECISION  
**

* * *

Despite her previous efforts to drown him in the pool, Haruka was very much alive and in need of his mackerel fix. This meant Misaki had to accompany him and Makoto to the grocery store, though she wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was because Makoto asked and Misaki just couldn't bring herself to say 'no'. Or maybe subconsciously she wasn't ready to go home yet. Either way the girl managed to waste some time at the store before Makoto escorted her home. The green eyed boy offered to stay and spend some time with her but Misaki had to decline.

She needed some alone time, especially before Rin arrived. Once she was home Misaki flopped down on the couch. A loud sigh left her lips and echoed throughout the empty house. Hazel eyes noticed her phone on the coffee table which is where she left it before going to the party. Misaki reached out and grabbed it and noticed a text from her mom. It was a picture of her parents standing in front of the Eiffel Tower followed by a message saying 'miss you!'. As Misaki sent a text saying 'miss you too' she made a mental note to call her parents tomorrow to see how they were doing.

Misaki then noticed the text from Azami. It said 'I think I'm in love' in all caps followed by four emoticon hearts. The text made Misaki scowl as she locked her phone and rested it on her stomach. She wasn't about to respond because the last thing Misaki wanted to do was text Azami about how hot Rin was. Which he was, but Azami wasn't allowed to think that. Another loud sigh escaped the girl's mouth as she placed her hands over her face. This whole jealousy thing was so not Misaki's style. Makoto got flirted with and checked out all the time, yet Misaki never fussed over it. Because she know Makoto loved her and not the hussy checking him out. But Rin was a totally different story. Misaki had no clue if Rin really loved her and at the end of the day he wasn't her boyfriend meaning other girls actually had a chance with him.

"This is ridiculous," Misaki murmured to herself as she heaved herself off the couch and went upstairs to take a shower.

Leaving the couch didn't mean leaving her thoughts behind. They followed her into the shower where Misaki had hoped the warm water would cause them to dissolve. The more Misaki thought about Rin technically still being on the market and able to date other girls the more upset she got. The more upset she got the more she wanted to actually do something about it.

As she scrubbed the chlorine out of her hair Misaki began to think of what she could do to fix this problem. She could break up with Makoto and date Rin, but thinking about all the problems that would cause made Misaki shiver. Yes, eventually she would have to deal with Makoto but she simply wasn't ready to do that just yet. Another option would be to let go of any hopes of being with Rin romantically and let him go off and date other girls. Misaki let out an audible 'ha!' as she realized that she wasn't going to let that happen. Not only was Misaki way too emotionally invested in Rin for that to happen but it would hurt way too much to see Rin with another girl.

"I could always tell him how I feel," Misaki whispered as she scrubbed shampoo into her hair.

Her eyebrows knitted together as she tried to figure out a way to tell Rin that she was jealous of him being around other girls without sounding like a hypocrite. She knew that Rin didn't like seeing her with Makoto, but considering she hadn't stopped her relationship with the green eyed boy she couldn't expect Rin to stop all contact with members of the opposite sex. And that's what made her nervous. Rin didn't have to stick around, in fact it'd be easier on him if he just dropped any and all feelings he had for Misaki. Plus it wasn't like Misaki had anything exciting to offer. She was normal. Not gorgeous, not ugly, not funny, not bland- just normal.

The next thought that came to mind made Misaki feel slightly queasy. It was a thought that had been brewing for the past few days but Misaki kept trying to ignore it. Because good, faithful girlfriends didn't do what she was thinking.

"Shit fuck ahhh no owwww!" The sudsy drop of shampoo dribbled into Misaki's left eye causing her uproar and all thoughts of Rin to be thrown out the bathroom window. More expletives sputtered out as she aggressively rubbed her eye.

Misaki took the rest of her shower with her left eye closed. Once exiting the shower she didn't even bother to wrap a towel around herself instead choosing to run to the mirror and make sure she wasn't blind. Her eye was red and a little puffy but it looked like she would keep her sight. With a sigh of relief Misaki reached out and wrapped a towel around her body but didn't exit the bathroom right away.

Instead she stood surrounded by steam as she stared down at her bare feet. The thought had crawled back and was now gnawing at her mind. It moved its way to the forefront of her brain and then began to pulsate and radiate throughout her body. It made her stomach ache and fingers tremble. _Can I really do that?_ The question wound its way around her body, holding her tightly as if trying to force all the air out of her body. _If I don't do it then I might lose him. _An unsteady breath left her mouth before Misaki tried to suck it back in. Oxygen expanded her lungs pushing all doubts away. Questions floated away as Misaki walked with a purpose. She would do it. She had to.

* * *

"I can't do this."

Those four words kept spewing out of Misaki's mouth as she paced through her living room. She couldn't do this? Could she? No way. It was one thing to get swept up in the moment. It was another to be an active part in something like this. In the olden days she could be stoned for this! Or something like that…Misaki never really paid attention in history class.

As Misaki continued pacing she looked down and let out a very loud groan of frustration. Frustration at herself for allowing her plan to even get this far. It was already nine at night on a Sunday, meaning she should be in sweat pants and a t-shirt. That's probably the outfit Rin would expect, but no instead Misaki looked like she was going out for a night on the town.

Her hair was pin straight. She wore black shorts that were, how shall we say, not church appropriate. She also wore a tight light pink lace camisole that showed off her small bust. Well showed it off as best as it could cause even with the help of a push-up bra Misaki felt flat chested. Black eyeliner and mascara was generously applied to her eyes and her lips were sticky with lip gloss. Floral scented perfume was sprayed on her hair, neck, arms, legs- Misaki basically took a bath in it.

And now here she was. All dolled up and pacing around her house. When the doorbell rang Misaki let out a small shriek. Here she had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she forgot that soon someone would be arriving at her house.

"I can do this," Misaki whispered to herself even though her mind was screaming the opposite, "Be cool. Calm. Normal. No one is going to stone you."

The door opened slowly to reveal a very relaxed looking Rin. He was wearing black sweat pants, a loose dark grey t-shirt and his Samezuka jacket. It was obvious he hadn't put much thought into his appearance but Misaki found herself swooning which only made it worse.

"Y-yo," she stuttered as she stood awkwardly by the door. She wanted to tug on her shorts but figured that wasn't very attractive.

"Hey…." The 'y' dragged as auburn eyes widened slightly, "What the hell are you wearing?"

"Oh, psh, this old thing." Misaki was nervous. Her palms were sweaty and the last thing she needed was Rin pointing out how she looked like a hussy on a Sunday night, "They're my…pajamas."

Misaki moved aside as Rin came in and took off his jacket, throwing it onto a nearby chair, "Something smells."

He didn't say bad but he didn't say good either leaving Misaki wishing she hadn't doused herself in perfume. "Yeah well whatever," she mumbled, closing the door. She waited a moment before turning around only to wish she could go back to staring at the door. Rin was staring at her. But not in the good way. No, one of his eyebrows was cocked and his arms were crossed and he was looking down his nose at her.

"What?" she asked, walking past him and trying to get away from his gaze but it seemed to follow her like a magnet.

"Something's up."

"No it's not." It was a lie because it wasn't supposed to go like this. There had been a plan! A plan Misaki conjured in her head that did not include Rin coming in and acting like Sherlock Freakin Holmes.

Misaki had walked to the couch, assuming Rin would follow but instead all he did was stare at her. "Something's up."

"Repeating it isn't going to make it true."

"Then tell my why you're…you know."

Misaki's eyebrow rose, "No, I don't know."

"Why you're dressed like that?" Rin finally spat, apparently not buying the whole pajama excuse.

"You're not supposed to point it out," Misaki whispered as she wiped her sweaty palms onto her thighs though it didn't seem to make them any drier.

A sigh filled the air as Misaki began nibbling on her bottom lip. Here she had wanted to go about this discreetly but looked like Rin wasn't about to let that happen, "I've been thinking," she started as she pulled her black hair to one side and began running her fingers through it.

"That's dangerous."

"I'm not gonna tell you what I've been thinking if you act like that."

"Like I care."

Misaki growled because she didn't spend so much time straightening her hair for Rin not to care. Eyebrows furrowed as Misaki glared at the tall maroon haired male who simply stared back. It was a contest though Misaki knew she'd lose. Making Rin admit to caring about something was pretty much impossible. "Fine," Misaki groaned, softening her gaze, "Well I've been thinking…"

"You already said that."

"Well it's important. Cause I've been thinking a lot and well you see after a lot of thinking and such-"

"Just spit it out already!"

"I want to take back what I said earlier." It was vague and made Rin's eyebrows raise. Misaki knew she had to be more specific but it was hard especially since she hadn't planned on actually talking about this. "What I said about you know not wanting to cheat…"

Misaki saw the light bulb go off on top of Rin's head. It was burning brightly over his surprised expression which soon turned serious. "You're don't mean that," he scoffed, walking over to the couch and sitting down.

Now Misaki wasn't sure how Rin would react but she certainly didn't think he'd dismiss her feelings like that. "Of course I do," she protested, moving to stand in front of him.

"No," he stated, his jaw clenching, "You don't."

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true!"

"Yeah well you say it now but you'd regret it later."

Anger began pooling in Misaki's stomach as Rin told her how she would feel. As if she hadn't spent time thinking it over. As if she hadn't weighed the consequences. "I wouldn't regret it," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're not that kind of girl," Rin said dryly.

That statement further pissed Misaki off. Rin hadn't been around for years. How the hell did he know what kind of girl she was!? "Not _what_ kind of girl huh? The kind who cheats on her boyfriend because newsflash! I already did!"

She was screaming. She was infuriated. But worst of all she was embarrassed. Because here she had dressed up like some hooker and admitted to wanting to be romantic with Rin and he denied her. "And newsflash I want to again! Because if not you might find someone who isn't in a relationship and you might do stuff with her and forget about me…" her words trailed off, her cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment as she watched Rin's eyes widen at her statement.

"What?"

"Nothing," Misaki said as she looked to the side as if looking away from Rin would make him disappear. He didn't.

"Forget about you?" He said the words like an insult as if they had stung him and caused him pain, "You must be stupid to think I'd find someone else and forget about you."

"I'm not stupid," Misaki defended, "And you won't wait forever."

"Then don't make me wait forever." He wasn't angry. He was honest and a little hopeful which only made Misaki's heart flutter with sadness because she wished he wouldn't have to wait.

"That's why I wanted to do something tonight, until you shot me down."

"Because you'd regret it."

A scowl formed on Misaki's face as she glared down at Rin. She wanted to deny it but he wouldn't believe her. After the guilt Misaki had endured for their previous kisses it made sense that she'd regret kissing him again. But she pushed that to the back of her mind. Her body stiffened as she tried to force it to move. Finally it budged, though very slowly. A lump formed in her throat as she placed her right knee on the couch, right outside of Rin's left leg.

"What are you-"

Misaki slapped her right hand over Rin's mouth. If he talked she'd lose her nerve and turn beet red. Instead she swallowed the lump in her throat and placed her left knee on the couch in order to straddle Rin. With her hand still on his mouth she sat down which caused him to try to speak but it was all muffled against her mouth. Her eyes were focused on his chest she felt her hand being ripped away from his mouth.

"Misaki what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Rin's voice was loud and he sounded uncomfortable. He was nervously shifting underneath Misaki's weight as if trying to find a position that didn't feel like she was straddling him.

Misaki let out a shaky breath as she placed both hands on Rin's chest, "Do you think I'm pretty?"

"What kind of question is that!? Just can you get off me already!?"

"Answer the question," she whispered, noticing how Rin refused to look at her. Instead he was staring off to the side. With a trembling hand Misaki picked up Rin's right hand and placed it on her right thigh.

His body tensed at the feeling of her bare skin. Misaki noted how warm his hand felt. "Answer the question," she repeated, this time a little more forceful.

Rin stayed silent for a moment, his eyes still somewhere else before he mumbled a reply, "Sure."

Misaki let out an annoyed grunt. It wasn't the answer she wanted but she'd take it. "Do you want to," she paused sucking in some air before continuing, "Kiss me?"

It felt like a thousand bees were buzzing around in her stomach. She felt light headed and everything was amplified. She could clearly hear Rin's breath hitch in his throat. Her ears pounded along with the beat of her heart which was frantically beating against her chest. The thigh that Rin's hand was on had formed goose bumps from his touch. She could feel Rin's hips between her knees, the soft fabric of his sweats beneath her thighs, the beating of his heart through her hands that were rested on his chest. Her whole body was warm and tingling. Ears were perked as she waited for his answer.

"You'll regr-"

"It's a yes or no answer," Misaki said, her heart racing as she desperately hoped for a yes.

"Yeah," Rin grumbled, his face beginning to flush.

"Then do it," Misaki whispered, placing one hand on Rin's cheek and turning his gaze towards her.

Rin's eyes twinkled with nervousness. His maroon eyes flicked around Misaki's face before resting on her lips. His hand moved off her thigh and gently cupped her face, causing Misaki's breath to become stuck in her throat. Slowly Rin moved in, his lips tentatively and gently brushing against hers. The contact was brief as Rin backed away and stared Misaki dead in the eye as if analyzing her reaction.

"Are you sure about this?"

Misaki let the question fall upon her ears and work its way to her brain. There she wondered if this would be okay. There would be no going back. This would be the beginning of something that Misaki had initially thought she wasn't capable of. "Yeah," Misaki breathed, placing both hands on Rin's face as she moved in and pressed her lips to his.

Her answer must have been all Rin needed because he was no longer tentative. His lips captured hers roughly and passionately. Right hand trailed up her back while his left hand became buried in her dark locks. Sharp teeth bit down on her bottom lip, eliciting a moan from the noirette. The moan caused Rin to grunt and soon Misaki felt something up against her thigh.

It made her stomach flip as she felt Rin pull her closer to him. The action caused her to grind against him and their lips separated as a hot breath rushed out of Misaki's mouth. Her breathing was heavy and as she looked at Rin and noticed that his breathing mimicked hers. Cautiously Misaki moved her hips forward and noticed how it took all Rin had to not let out a noise. She did it again and this time Rin latched onto her hips and narrowed his gaze at her.

"Stop that or else."

Rin's voice was low and threatening. The words had come from his chest and sounded like a primitive growl. "Or else what?" Misaki asked teasingly as she wondered if she should test him.

"Or else I won't be able to stop."

Misaki wasn't sure what that meant until she noticed Rin's cheeks flush. Her mouth made a small 'o' as she nodded her head in understanding. But just because she understood didn't mean she'd listen. A part of her wanted to see what Rin would do. The rest of her just wanted to disobey him for the fun of it.

Her lips met his softly before she slowly grinded forward. A guttural noise came from Rin as he roughly pulled her hips forward. Misaki's throat vibrated, as she threw her head over Rin's shoulder. Her teeth began to nibble on his earlobe, which solicited another pleasurable response. With a gruff sound Rin forced Misaki away from his ear so he could capture her lips. Rin wouldn't allow her to break the kiss in order to get air. Exhales rushed through her nose, pants coming from her mouth as she felt Rin yank her hips forward.

"Upstairs?" Rin breathed against Misaki's lips, the word making her heart stop for a moment.

Misaki knew that her answer to the simple request could drastically change things. After all, the only thing Misaki had wanted to do tonight was kiss. She had no plans of taking it too far though now with her lips against Rin's and his thumbs rubbing small circles against her hips she wasn't sure if she could stop if it came to that. She didn't know if she could keep it at just kissing, or if she wanted to. Saying 'no' would mean it would stop. It meant there was no chance it'd go further. Saying 'yes' meant she'd be willing to go all the way. It meant she may not stop.

Misaki gently kissed Rin's lips, savoring the taste as she pulled away and slowly nodded her head 'yes', "Yeah," she croaked, her whole body quivering with excitement and nervousness, "Yeah."

* * *

**Author's Note: **To lemon or not to lemon, that is the question. If enough people say they want one then I'll write one, or if people say they don't want one then I won't. It's in your guys hands so please leave a review with your opinion. If no one has anything to say on the topic I probably will just skip the lemon. also the rating on this story has gone up to M.

_Ninjakittyx3_: ah thank you so much! I'm happy you like it :)

Thanks to everyone who favorited this story/added this story to their alert system!


	13. Trembling

**CHAPTER 13: TREMBLING**

**Warning: This chapter contains mature content. If you wish to skip begin reading after the line break.  
**

* * *

Passion was the only thing keeping Misaki's thoughts at bay. It was as if Rin's lips were her sanctuary and if she parted from them she'd be devoured by the dark abyss that had formed in her mind. An abyss filled with guilt ridden thoughts that all revolved around a single idea. _This is wrong_. The thought was pushed to the back of her mind by Rin's hands that clutched onto her thighs as he carried her upstairs. His hands were warm and slightly moist from nervousness that was welling up inside of him. He had to be nervous, Misaki thought, because as he kicked the door to her room shut and laid her down on the bed Misaki began to realize just how nervous she was.

Her body felt as if it were being pricked by needles. Needles which caused her muscles to quiver and her skin to crawl. Rough hands tried to smooth away the sensation. They stroked over her bare legs, over her hips before delving beneath her shirt. There they felt the contours of her waist, moving up and up until with a hitched breath they stopped.

"I-it's o-okay." Her voice sounded scared and distant. It rang in her ears and made her flinch. Hesitant eyes looked up at Rin to see him staring down at her. His eyes were filled with desire and concern as he slowly ran his hands down her stomach before removing contact completely.

Darkness shadowed Rin's face as he placed his hands by Misaki's arms, pushing them into the comforter in order to keep his weight from falling onto the girl beneath him. "Are you sure about this?"

Eyes rolled in Misaki's head as she let out a long exhale, "Y-yeah." The stutter couldn't be contained and Misaki mentally scorned herself for it. The abyss was moving closer, its dark breath whispering uncertainty in her ear.

"We don't have to-" Words came to a halt as Rin felt Misaki's palm pressing into his wrist. His weight shifted to the arm that was still pushing into the comforter as he watched her place his open hand onto her breast.

"It's fine." Her voice was stronger though the needle sensation had begun to intensify. Her stomach buzzed at the feeling of Rin's hand which slowly began to move.

His thumb caressed her breast, eliciting a moan of pleasure from Misaki who bit down on her bottom lip in an attempt to keep the noise muffled. Rin had less inhibition as a loud growl erupted from his chest before he pressed his lips to Misaki's jugular.

There he made small circles with his tongue, tasting the salty skin and nipping at it lightly. Lips moved downward, attaching to her collar bone where he gently sucked the sensitive skin. His hand mimicked the movement of his tongue, circling around Misaki's breast in a way that made her squirm with pleasure. His work on her collar bone came to stop as Rin felt his hair being tugged. The action caused him to release an annoyed grunt which was quickly muted my Misaki's lips.

Her kisses were hungry and frantic. Breathy moans racked her body at the feeling of Rin's touch. Quivering fingers found their way under Rin's shirt. Nails scraped up his chest, palms feeling the goose bumps that began forming. Misaki traced over his muscles before tugging the shirt over his head. Awkwardly Misaki tried to remove Rin's shirt, though it ended up getting stuck around his elbows.

"You're hopeless," Rin grunted as he sat up and tore his shirt off, tossing it to the side of the bed.

Misaki was about to respond but Rin's lips on hers made that impossible. As his tongue licked her bottom lip she felt his hands make their way under her shirt. One arm snaked around her waist, his upper body pressing into hers as his other hand resumed its work on her breast. As he fell into her Misaki also felt something resting up against her thigh.

Soon Rin became tired of having to work around Misaki's shirt and with a quick movement pulled the camisole off. "Rin," Misaki's voice was small and embarrassed as Rin's eyes stared down at the black lacy bra.

Without warning his lips were soon on the exposed skin which the bra didn't cover. Cheeks flushed as Misaki dug her nails into Rin's back. Slowly her hands moved his back before hooking her thumbs into Rin's sweatpants. Her stomach buzzed and hands shook as she began pushing the sweatpants down from Rin's hips.

Rin's mouth moved away from Misaki's breast, his eyes widening slightly as he looked down at the noirette. Her face was flushed and black strands of hair clung to her forehead. Her chest was heaving and her lips were wet with saliva. The sight made Rin's stomach churn as he twitched with excitement. He leaned down and placed a single kiss on the purple bruise he had left on her collar bone before rolling off of her.

Misaki let out a slight whine as she looked to see Rin standing near the side of her bed. There he slid off his sweatpants and once stepping out of those he began to pull down his boxers. Misaki's heart rate quickened as she turned her gaze up towards her ceiling. Her stomach was aching with nerves as she flicked her gaze back towards Rin.

Her cheeks reddened at the sight of him naked and her eyes widened at she took a quick glance at his erection. She had never seen a naked man before, the sight was enough to make her feel dizzy and a little queasy. _This is really happening_, she thought as she inhaled sharply. Body jumped as she felt Rin's warm hands graze over her stomach. She watched as he unbuttoned her shorts and slowly began to slide them off. Once she was only in her underwear the male paused, placing his hands on her thighs.

"You're shaking," he noted softly, feeling the flesh quiver beneath his touch, "You know if you don't want to-"

Misaki quickly sat up and captured Rin's lips. She couldn't stand to hear him express doubt, because she wanted this. She wanted him. One hand cupped his cheek while the other tentatively ran down his chest. The kiss broke as she wrapped her hands around the pulsating member and a mixture of moans and ragged breaths sputtered from Rin's lips.

Slowly she began moving her thumb up and down, realizing how smooth the skin was. Her hand was shaky from nerves as she ran her thumb over the tip. The action made Rin thrust forward and throw his head back in pleasure. Before Misaki could continue she found herself lying on her back with Rin towering over her. The shock of being pushed backwards caused her to release Rin's now throbbing erection.

"R-Rin," the girl nearly screamed as she felt Rin's fingers lightly graze over her covered entrance. His name left her lips once more as he tugged the fabric down, leaving Misaki in just her bra.

She could feel it. The tip of Rin's member dancing around her entrance and it was enough to make her scream. Her whole body was shaking, sweat exiting her pores as she tried to steady her breathing. "Rin," she muttered, pushing her body downwards in an attempt to bring him closer to her.

Misaki screamed his name then bit down on her bottom lip as she felt him begin to push into her warmth. Eyes shut tightly as he continued. The feeling of being expanded made her squirm. Her breathing was loud, her chest heaving up and down as she clung onto Rin's biceps. Her nails dug into the skin as what was once pure pleasure began to take an uncomfortable turn.

Her lower abdomen began to burn with the feeling of being filled. Misaki gasped at the feeling of Rin sliding out of her before slamming back in. It made her back arch and her nails dig so deep into his arm that she drew blood. Rin's pants and grunts of pleasure filled the air as he continued the motion. What was once uncomfortable began to build into pleasure as Misaki yanked down on Rin's neck causing their lips to sloppily meet.

She felt his hot breath against her lips as he began to move faster and faster, the pace making Misaki's pants become louder. The sound caused Rin to become even more aroused as he leaned into her and bit down on her earlobe. There he whispered her name, thoughts of how damn sexy and beautiful she was filling his head. There those thoughts accompanied the ones that were screaming about how fucking perfect this felt. How warm Misaki was, how perfectly he fit inside her, and how every time she said his name he nearly lost it. A pressure began building inside of his abdomen, causing him to thrust into Misaki harder as her ragged breathing urged him to continue.

A strangled moan caused Rin's lips to part as he felt Misaki thrust forward, causing him to fill her completely. She did it again, her hands scratching at Rin's back as she moaned out his name. Moans and grunts filled the area as their bodies collided over and over again. The warmth inside Rin's abdomen was building more and more and with a loud grunt followed by a murmur of Misaki's name he released inside of her. Any strength the male had was gone as he collapsed onto the female.

Misaki gasped as she felt Rin sliding out of her. Her legs were trembling from the residual feeling of Rin sliding in and out of her, and she shamelessly wished that he would do it again. Soon the trembling moved up from her legs and racked her whole body. Pants left her mouth as she tried to calm down, but it wasn't working.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Rin asked as he placed a gentle kiss on Misaki's lips. As he separated their lips he let out a growl, "_God_ you're so fucking sexy."

Misaki giggled as she ran her fingers through Rin's hair which was wet and matted with sweat. "I'm fine," her voice was shaky as she tried to find her breath.

With a grunt Rin rolled off her and onto his back, his gaze set up at the ceiling as he rested on his hands on his stomach. The high was hard to come down from. His whole body felt like it was tingling and every now and then an involuntary twitch would cause his muscles to spasm. As he began to calm down a thought rushed through his mind and made him nearly choke. "We didn't use a condom," he spat, sitting up and looking down at Misaki who didn't seem fazed by his comment.

"I'm on birth control," she breathed.

Rin's eyebrows shot up as he began to wonder why she would be on birth control. Unless. "Have you…." He paused to swallow the lump in his throat, "Done this before?"

The thought of Misaki having sex with Makoto nearly made Rin sick. The euphoria had faded and Rin was left with an uneasy feeling coursing through his veins as he stared down at the noirette.

"You're my first," Misaki whispered and noticed how relief seemed to wash over Rin.

Rin nodded his head once as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, "I should probably get going."

Misaki instantly felt nauseous as she sat up and latched onto one of Rin's arms, "Wait, no just stay for a little while."

"I have school tomorrow."

"Please," Misaki begged, an odd feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. Here just moments before Rin had been inside of her, he had been closer to her than she could have ever imagined and now the thought of him leaving made her feel sick.

Rin raised an eyebrow at Misaki's pitiful expression. She really did have the most annoying sad face because Rin would never say no to it. "Fine, but at least let me put some clothes on."

Misaki released Rin's arm, watching as he scoured the room for his clothes. "Don't put your shirt on," Misaki ordered, causing a confused expression to come to Rin's face though he didn't argue.

As Rin was sliding on his boxers and sweatpants Misaki swung her legs over the side of the bed. A small gasp left her mouth as she stood up to put her underwear back on. Her whole lower body felt sore. It was uncomfortable to walk and Misaki said a silent prayer that this aching would be gone by tomorrow.

"You should sleep over," Misaki said as she returned to the bed now dressed in pajama shorts and a t-shirt.

"I wish," Rin said as he lied down and pulled Misaki into his chest. He really did like how it felt to just lay here with Misaki in his arms. Plus he felt completely exhausted and had no real desire to have to trek back to Samezuka .

"You could go to school from here," Misaki suggested as she nuzzled into Rin's bare chest, a shiver running up her spine as the sweat began to evaporate from her body.

Rin's jaw crackled as he let out a yawn and sunk into the bed a little more, "Oi, was this your plan from the beginning?"

"Huh?"

Rin placed one finger under Misaki's chin to cause her to look up at him, "Was it your plan for us to have sex tonight?"

Misaki wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. Yes, she had wanted to do something with Rin though she hadn't expected it to go so far. "Kind of," she shrugged, "Are you mad?"

Mad was probably the last emotion Rin was feeling. Instead he was impressed at Misaki's tenacity yet a little disappointed in her decision making. "We just had sex, how could I possibly be mad?"

Rin had a point because if he felt even slightly as elated as Misaki then there really was no way he could be mad. Misaki felt like she was on cloud nine, like she had abandoned all of her problems at the surface and the only thing that mattered was Rin. "Stay the night," she whispered, propping herself up on her elbow in order to look down at Rin, "Please?"

"You're aggravating," Rin huffed, "And it's fucking hot in here so turn on a fan."

"Does that mean you're staying?"

Rin narrowed his gaze before leaning up and capturing Misaki's lips. "Yes," he said gruffly, his breath hitting her lips, "I'll stay."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Apparently I need to ask for your guy's opinion more often. Last chapter got the most reviews of any chapter in this story, and that alone really motivated me to get this chapter out because hearing your guy's feedback really makes me want to get updates out quickly for you guys.

Thanks to Ember, Guest, Tolazytologon, and Rina7745 for letting me know that you wanted a lemon. This is my very first time writing any kind of smut so I'm not sure how good it is. Please let me know how it was and please let me know if you'd like to see more smut in this story.

_xMiss Shizaya Michaelisx_: I know :( Sometimes I feel like a complete jerk for writing Makoto into a situation like this cause he's so sweet and really doesn't deserve it.

_HellOnTheEngine_: I tried to make the lemon not too vulgar, if you ended up reading it what did you think? And yeah it's good for Misaki to have her first time with someone she really cares about but the whole thing is really unfair for Makoto.

_Rina7745_: Did you like the lemon!? I hope it turned out okay since I've never written one before. And thank you so much! I also think my writing has improved and I'm hoping it will just keep getting better.

_miss__ a:_Thanks so much for the review and I hope you liked the update!


	14. Cloud Nine

**CHAPTER 14: CLOUD NINE  
**

* * *

Misaki wasn't sure what exactly woke her up. It would have been the creaking of her bed as Rin got up. Or it could have been his voice which was quickly rising in volume. Though most likely it was the odd pain in her lower abdominals that made her sit up and begin rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Everything was slightly blurry and very loud as Misaki looked around her room. For some reason Rin was screaming into his cell phone….wait why was Rin even here!?

Shoulders reached for ears, heart rate quickening as Misaki tried to fight through the morning fog to figure out what the maroon haired teen was doing in her room. _And why is he shirtless?_ Eyes widened slightly as Misaki's mouth made a small 'o' and color began to wash over her cheeks. It had really happened. It wasn't just a dream or a hallucination.

"We had sex," she whispered, wanting to hear how those words would sound. They sounded strange and unreal and Misaki suddenly felt extraordinarily embarrassed.

They had seen each other _naked_. He had been _inside of her_. His face had been contorted in pleasure as she writhed underneath him. The memories of the event that flashed inside her head made Misaki feel like a pervert. And then there was this weird pain in her stomach. It felt like menstrual cramps but different in a way Misaki couldn't really explain.

"Google time," she mumbled, leaning over to grab her phone off the nightstand. As she opened up the web browser she began to catch onto some of the things Rin was saying.

"What?! No!? Why would I be kidnapped!?"

Eyebrows rose as Misaki wondered who in the world Rin could be talking to and why this person thought Rin was kidnapped. Hazel eyes flicked between her phone and Rin, watching as the male began trying to calm down whoever he was talking to. Misaki's attention was soon diverted solely to her phone as she scrolled through the yahoo answers.

"I think you hit my ovaries," Misaki mumbled, wondering how that was even possible. Her words managed to catch Rin's attention- whose back had been to her while he spoke on the phone.

"_What_?" Rin asked, though Misaki wasn't sure who he was talking to. Finally with a loud groan and a rushed 'I have to go' Rin rung up the phone.

"Who was that?"

"My roommate," Rin said as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "He freaked out when I didn't come back last night, now can you repeat what you just said?"

"About my ovaries?" The word made Rin flinch and Misaki began wondering if the male even knew what that was, "It's just my stomach kind of hurts so I dunno I think you hit something."

"_Hit_ something?"

Misaki wasn't sure how to explain it without talking about her uterus and stroking Rin's ego. Because this apparently happened because of the size of his, "Never mind," Misaki muttered, not really wanting to think about it let alone have to verbalize it, "What time is it?"

"Nine thirty."

"Shouldn't you be at school!?" Misaki propped herself onto her knees, leaning forward as she clutched onto the edge of the bed.

"Tch thanks captain obvious. We overslept."

Misaki didn't really like the use of 'we' considering she was on summer break and therefore didn't have to get up early for school. So technically it was just Rin who overslept but Misaki figured she should just keep that little thought to herself. "So what are you gonna do?"

"Stay here I guess."

"Who said you were invited?" A cheeky grin came to Misaki's face as she stood up from the bed, "Ah ow."

"Tell me about it."

Misaki's whole lower body felt sore and uncomfortable. At Rin's statement she looked at the male to see him rubbing the back of his head, "I'm sore," she stated dryly as she tried to figure out a way to stand that wouldn't feel like she had been hit by a truck.

"Yeah well me too."

The thought made Misaki want to both laugh and blush, though she did neither. Instead she let out a sigh and began awkwardly walking towards the bathroom, "I need to shower."

Rin didn't question anything as Misaki walked away and locked herself in the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and washing her face the teen turned on the shower and began taking her clothes off. "Oh my _god_ Rin!"

Misaki heard footsteps run down the hall and a hand try to open the locked door, "What happened!? Are you okay!?"

"What the hell is this!?" Misaki yelled over the sound of the running water as she delicately touched the large purple bruise that was on her collarbone.

"Open the damn door so I can see what you're talking about!"

"You gave me a hickey!"

"Open the door!"

"No! I'm shirtless!"

"Like I haven't seen you shirtless before."

The comment made Misaki blush though the look of horror never left her face. With a low thud the bathroom door swung open and Misaki quickly wrapped her arms around her naked bust, "Rin get out!"

"Let me see." Instead of getting out the male walked towards Misaki and poked the hickey, "It's not even that bad, stop being a baby."

"What do you mean not that bad!?" Misaki turned to look in the mirror, leaning forward in an attempt to get a better view of the discoloration. The spot was about the size of both her thumbs side by side. The outside was a fiery red while the center was a dark purple with minuscule blue spots.

"It could be worse," Rin said as he walked up behind Misaki and placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder.

The action made Misaki tense as she was still very much shirtless. Rin had managed to slip on his t-shirt while Misaki had gone to the bathroom though the fact that he was fully clothed didn't make this any less awkward. Rin's lips placed another kiss on her shoulder though this time he began trailing the affection up towards her neck.

"I kinda have to take a shower," Misaki tried to not let her breathe hitch as she felt Rin's warm breathe on her neck but it was nearly impossible to not let out a very small moan. Especially when Rin began biting down on the sensitive skin- he really was _way_ too good at this.

"Me too," he breathed into her ear and never had two words sounded so seductive.

If she hadn't already been sore maybe she would have let Rin continue. Instead she spun around and while keeping one arm firmly covering her breasts she landed a hard punch to Rin's chest. "Okay Casanova," she sputtered, her breathing slightly ragged, "_Out_."

"Jeez fine," Rin huffed as he rubbed the area Misaki had punched, "Don't take forever."

"I won't," Misaki said as she slammed the door shut once Rin had exited the room.

Once Rin was gone Misaki could continue undressing. As she slid off her pajama shorts and underwear she noticed a dried out substance on her inner thigh. It took Misaki a minute to register what it was but once she did a shiver ran down her spine. The hop into the shower was slightly painful though the warm water began to help relieve the aches and pains.

A content sigh left her lips as Misaki stood under the water with her eyes closed. Despite the uncomfortable lower belly pain and the soreness the seventeen year old girl was actually quite happy. It wasn't until she was washing the conditioner out of her hair that her heart sank and that cloud nine feeling began to wear off.

It was now official. Misaki was a cheater. A cheater of the highest caliber. Because it was one thing to cheat on your boyfriend by kissing another guy but it was a whole new level of cheating to have sex with another guy. The weirdest part was that although Misaki felt guilty for cheating on Makoto she didn't feel guilty for having sex with Rin.

Last night was perhaps the greatest moment in Misaki's life. It was wonderful and passionate and she shared it with someone who she had loved since she was twelve. Although she had yet to verbalize it Misaki did love Rin. She loved everything about him. Even when he acted like a douchebag and insulted her Misaki still loved him. Rin was her dream, her aspiration, her once in a lifetime love and deep down Misaki knew Rin felt the same. Why else would he have had sex with her? Why else would he be willing to wait for her even though it would be much easier to just move on? They were star crossed lovers who were ever waiting for the right opportunity to come together.

Too bad no one besides Misaki and Rin would be able to see it like that. Everyone else would see what she did as a horrible crime against someone she had claimed to love. But Misaki _did _love Makoto. She loved how kind he was. She loved his smile and his laugh. She loved how he looked at her as if she was the prettiest girl on the planet. There were so many reasons she loved him yet all those reasons made Misaki feel worse for what she had done to him.

Makoto didn't deserve to be cheated on- Misaki knew this yet she wasn't sure what she should do. A long exhale pushed from her nostrils as Misaki turned the water off. _I'll figure it out_, she thought as she wrapped a towel around herself. _It might take me a little while but I'll figure it out_.

* * *

Rin saw no reason to go for only a half day of school especially since everyone would ask him where he was. This meant that he'd stay at Misaki's until it was time for swim practice. Misaki nearly squealed with delight at the thought of Rin staying here with her. She wasn't sure why but the thought of not being around Rin now made her stomach twist. Also as long as Rin was around Misaki could ignore the nagging guilt that was trying to creep up on her.

Misaki found it crazy how easily her and Rin could act like a couple. They both had the ability to ignore the harsh reality of their situation and simply enjoy each other's company. After Rin showered the pair enjoyed a gourmet breakfast of Lucky Charms before settling down on the couch. There Misaki made Rin watch the first few episodes of American Horror Story season 1 on Netflix. The entire time Rin kept looking over at Misaki and mumbling "you actually _like_ this kind of stuff?"

When they were kids Misaki was really into Disney princess movies. It was all she ever watched and Rin was very aware of that fact. That's why he found it ridiculous how much her viewing patterns had changed. Now she watched things like Teen Mom and American Horror Story- things that would make Cinderella cringe. Rin was quick to express this to Misaki who could only laugh.

"I still have my Little Mermaid costume from that year we went trick or treating together," Misaki said as she paused the show- not wanting Rin to miss any of it.

"And the stupid red wig?"

"It wasn't stupid."

"It was stupid."

"I think you should have gone as a shark….ah!" Eyes lit up as Misaki pulled her legs up onto the couch in order to sit on them and face Rin.

"No," the male said before Misaki could even say anything.

"You don't even know what I'm thinking!"

"Yes I do and it's not gonna happen."

Misaki's hands reached out and landed on Rin's thigh, "You already have the teeth for it. Oh my gosh you could be the shark from Finding Nemo this Halloween!"

"Bruce?"

"Yeah!" Misaki's hands flew up into the air, nearly hitting Rin in the face, "Bruce! And I can be Dory!"

"No you'd be the one with the jacked up fin."

"You mean Nemo?"

"No, no the other one. The one in the tank at the dentist's office."

"….Harold?"

"What? Why the fuck would his name be Harold!?"

Misaki shook her head left and right, pointing her finger at Rin's face, "You're getting me off topic!"

"Good," Rin huffed, sinking lower into the couch.

With a groan of frustration Misaki's shoulder slumped forward though they were quick to roll back as another thought came to mind, "Have your teeth gotten any sharper?"

Rin quickly swatted away Misaki's hand which was heading straight for his mouth, "How the hell would I know?"

"You don't touch them?"

"Do you touch your teeth?"

"I would if they were sharp and pointy."

Misaki could tell that she was agitating the male from the way his lips had turned downwards and his eyebrows had knitted together. His arms were crossed over his chest while his eyes were focused on the screen which was still paused. Misaki knew that she shouldn't do it, but her hand had a mind of its own. Slowly, ever so slowly, she began moving her extended index finger towards Rin's mouth. The tip of her tongue was visible as she lightly held it between her teeth in an effort to aide her concentration. She was nearly at his lips when he turned his head and glared.

Without much thought Misaki pushed her hand forward. The pad of her index finger made contact with the front of a hard, slimy tooth. Any celebration at having touched Rin's teeth was short lived as Misaki soon found herself lying flat on her back with Rin towering over her.

"Who just puts their finger in someone else's mouth!?" The male shouted, his hands grasping onto Misaki's wrist and pinning them above her head.

"You're yelling," Misaki pointed out, her ears tingling from the volume of Rin's voice and his proximity to her face.

"Damn right I'm yelling because you jammed your dirty finger into my mouth!"

"I wash my hands all the time!"

"I don't care!"

Misaki looked up to see Rin placing both her wrists together and then wrapping his left hand around them. "W-what are you doing?"

"Payback."

The devilish look in Rin's eyes let Misaki know that she was not about to enjoy this. She tried to kick her legs but Rin was sitting on her thighs and limiting her movement. Any upper body squirming was held to a minimum by the hand that was grasping onto her wrists. With wide eyes Misaki watched as Rin lifted up her shirt until her stomach was visible. A scream of laughter came spilling out as Rin placed his lips onto her belly and blew causing a loud blubbering noise that accompanied her laughter.

"Ah! No! Rin! Ah that tickles!" Misaki's laughter made her stomach contract with pain as she tried desperately to get out of Rin's grasp. She could hear the male snickering as he blew on her stomach again.

He was about to do it again until the ringing of the doorbell caused both teens to become silent. "Misaki! I know you're home! I hear you laughing!"

"Shit," Misaki took advantage of Rin's distracted state and quickly pushed the male off of her.

"Is that-" _smack_. Misaki's hand landed over Rin's mouth as she sat on her knees and leaned in towards him.

"It's Azami," Misaki whispered, her breath hitting the tip of Rin's nose, "And you have to hide. Or leave."

The perturbed look in Rin's eyes let the female know that he wasn't a fan of either of those ideas. Slowly Misaki peeled her hand away from his mouth. "I'm not hiding," he growled lowly as the doorbell rang once more.

"Then you're leaving," Misaki stood up and grabbed Rin's wrists and attempted to pull him to his feet. Rin complied and slipped on his jacket and shoes before heading towards the front door.

"No!" Misaki whispered loudly, grabbing Rin's arms, "You have to go out the back."

"Tch….fine."

Rin wasn't very happy as Misaki basically shoved him into her backyard. "Climb the fence; go through the shrubbery you'll come out near the end of the block."

"This is fucking ridiculous," Rin snarled, turning to look at the high fence he was apparently supposed to climb.

"I know but you kind of have to get a move on," Misaki noticed the glare Rin sent her way, though it didn't stop her from trying to rush him away from her home, "I'll text you later okay?"

"Yeah yeah whatever," Rin mumbled as he began moving towards the fence and with a little effort managed to haul himself over it.

The doorbell had been ringing nonstop for the past minute. If that wasn't enough to annoy Misaki then her friend's shouting certainly did. As Misaki was sprinting towards the door she stopped to check her phone. No new texts. Which was odd considering Azami never came over without at least texting Misaki first. Plus what was the blonde doing here at two p.m. on a Monday? Usually on Monday's Azami had to take her little sister to dance practice at three. The whole thing seemed odd but Misaki could barely think with the doorbell's constant ringing.

As the door swung open a cheeky grin lit up Azami's face, "Oh there you are."

Misaki watched as Azami entered her house and walked into the living room, "Come in," the noirette mumbled.

"This show is so weird," Azami's eyes were on the TV which was paused on American Horror Story, "Was this what was making you laugh?"

"Don't you have to take your sister to dance practice?" Misaki changed the subject as she shut the TV off.

"Yup," Azami popped the 'p', her eyes looking around the room, "Thought you could come with me."

"You could have asked before just showing up."

"Whoops," Azami began walking out of the living room and moving towards the stairs, "I brought that sweater I borrowed from you; I'll just put it on your bed."

Misaki wasn't sure why Azami didn't just give her the sweater. Or throw it on the couch. It certainly would have been easier than trekking up the stairs only to come down a minute later, "So," Azami began, "Wanna come with me?"

The honest answer would have been 'no' because the noirette really didn't feel like going out today. But with Rin gone all she would be doing was sitting on her couch missing him. "Sure," she shrugged, "Let me just get my shoes from upstairs."

Blue eyes watched as the girl began moving up the stairs. Once out of sight Azami dug her phone out of her back pocket. Perfectly polished nails clicked on the screen as she waited for the messaging app to open before typing in her message. _'no one else was here'_

'_You're sure?'_

'_yeah can u tell me what this was about'_

'_No. And you cannot tell Misaki-chan or else I will not give you Rin-san's number.'_

Azami rolled her eyes at the perfect capitalization and punctuation. Eyes looked over towards the stairs to make sure Misaki wasn't coming back down. _'fine fine just give me the number'_

'_You are not allowed to tell Misaki-chan where you got the number from.'_

'_yes i get it just give me my future husbands number already'_

Azami nearly let out a squeal as the seven digit number popped up on her screen. The promise of Rin's number was enough to get Azami to basically spy on her best friend. Yes, the blonde found it odd that Rei wanted to know if Misaki was home alone. Though Azami had learned to not expect much normalcy from the glasses wearing boy. There had been a string of break ins a few blocks away from Misaki's house, so maybe Rei was just worried about Misaki being home alone. Maybe Rei was trying to find Makoto and couldn't and thought he'd be with Misaki. Azami really had no clue but she also really didn't care. The deed was done, no one got hurt, Azami would soon forget about it because now she had Rin's number.

"What's with the smile?"

Misaki watched as Azami jumped and stuffed her phone back into her pocket, "Nothin," the blonde grinned looking way too giddy for having to take her sister to dance practice.

"Sure," the word dripped with sarcasm as Misaki finished descending the stairs. Something was definitely up. Azami usually didn't have that look on her face unless something really really good had happened. And that something normally had to do with a guy.

Eyes narrowed at the blonde as Misaki tried to figure out what could have possibly happened. Perhaps a guy asked her out. Or she talked to cute guy at the mall today. It really could be anything and Misaki didn't feel like guessing. Instead she stayed silent and followed Azami out of the house and as soon as she took a step outside Misaki instantly wished she was with Rin rather than with her bouncy chatterbox of a friend.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Bumbum buuuuum! Thoughts about why Rei is having Azami spy on Misaki? Thoughts on the chapter? I've really loved reading through your guy's reviews. It makes a huge difference in my motivation to write so thank you guys so much.**  
**

_Pinkychick1_: Yay! I'm happy you liked it!

_Ember_: I'll probably include more smut and thanks so much for your comment. I was kinda worried about posting the last chapter just cause I had no idea if it was good or not so it was nice to read your review.

_HellOnTheEngine_: I did try hard to not make it all nasty and such so I'm happy that I accomplished that goal. Also...totally told you your idea would show up in some way in this story (aka your review from chapter 8). And everything with work/life/school is going well though finals are coming up so it's getting a little stressful but not too bad

_Guest_: I totally plan on having more moments between them :)

_Mini_: This chapter was kind of fluffy I suppose, did you like it? And yes most likely there shall be more smut in the future!

_miss a_: Yes yes it was my first time writing smut which makes your review so special to me! You really liked it that much!? And oh my gosh I wish I could update everyday. With the increase in reviews I've been working harder to get these updates out quickly but with school I can't always update as fast as I want. And you'd probably take better care of Makoto that Misaki is at the moment!


	15. Prince Charming

**CHAPTER 15: PRINCE CHARMING  
**

* * *

_Five years ago_

"Hey guys, I have a favor to ask."

"Yeah?"

"Can you well…can you look over Misaki for me?"

Auburn eyes stared down at the concrete as Rin buried his chin into his scarf. After a few moments of silence he dared to look up. Their faces were blank, even Makoto's who usually had a gentle smile twisting his lips upwards. Thirteen year old Rin's face began to burn as he turned to look back down at the concrete in an attempt to hide his rosy cheeks.

"Why?"

It was Haru who spoke and the question made Rin become internally flustered. "Just well…"

Haru spoke up again, "Is what all the kids in class say true?"

"Are you dating her?"

Rin looked up at the sound of Makoto's voice. "N-No o-of course not!"

"Then you don't like her?" Haru folded his arms over his chest.

"I didn't say that," Rin mumbled as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

"Why do we need to watch over her?"

Haru was surprisingly talkative about the subject while Makoto stayed silent. His green eyes watched as Rin shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Well when I get back I just well I kind of want to go out with her." The last few words came out a soft whisper as Rin looked to see his friends' reactions. Haru's mouth was slightly agape while Makoto was looking up at the barren cherry blossom tree.

"That's kind of stupid," Haru's eyebrows knitted together, "It's not like we can keep her from dating someone. Plus you can't expect her to wait for you."

"She'll do it," Rin looked up, a fire in his eyes as he held his chin up in the air, "I know Misaki will wait for me." The thirteen year old had never been more certain of anything in his life.

"Do you love her?" Makoto's gentle voice was carried by the wind. It hit Rin's cheeks and stained them red as his confidence crumbled.

"Jeez what a weird question," Rin rubbed the back of his neck as he tapped the toe of his right shoe into the ground in an attempt to act nonchalant.

"It's not weird," Makoto defended, "If you love her then you won't break her heart. If you promise not to break her heart then we'll watch over her for you."

Rin's cheeks were warm and an odd feeling was pooling in his stomach. He had felt this before when thinking about Misaki. A feeling of floating, of being happy for no good reason, and maybe it was the feeling of love. Rin certainly did like Misaki a lot. He couldn't really see himself growing up and being with anyone else. Maybe that meant he loved her.

"Don't be silly," Rin scoffed as he came out of his thoughts, "Of course I won't break her heart."

"Promise?"

Rin locked eyes with Makoto as he nodded his head up and down once, "Promise."

"Then we promise to look after her until you get back."

"I didn't agree to that," Haru objected, his arms folding over his chest as his blue eyes flicked between Makoto and Rin before the sound of the bell signaled them all back inside.

* * *

Rin wasn't himself, and it was really starting to irritate him. His mind was wandering during class. He barely focused during swim practice. His grades and swim time were suffering and it didn't matter what Rin did- it wasn't getting better. Half the time his mind was stuck on Misaki. He kept remembering things from their past. Little things that made no sense to reminisce on like that one time she dropped her pencil in class and Rin picked it up for her. Then after memories like that his mind would travel to more recent moments. He couldn't stop thinking about what they did which led to him thinking about the other person who had constantly been on his mind. Makoto.

Just thinking about the green eyed male made Rin want to punch something. How could he be so mad at someone and feel bad for them all at the same time? Guilt and anger mixed together in his stomach until he could barely see straight. Because Makoto promised, _he fucking promised_. And he broke that promise, even though he _knew_ how much Misaki meant to Rin. Because 'looking after someone' means not dating them when you know that they belong to someone else. And Misaki certainly belonged to Rin.

Hours passed as Rin tried to convince himself that having sex with Misaki was okay. He saw her first. He loved her first. And had things gone according to plan Rin would have dated her first. It all made sense in his mind but it didn't make him feel any better. No, because in fact Rin felt like shit.

He couldn't sleep, could barely eat, and the only thing that made him feel better was texting Misaki. He just wanted to be around her because when he was around her things cleared up for a bit. The sun came out and if only for a moment Rin could breathe again. Too bad he hadn't seen her in a few days due to falling behind in school and on the swim team.

"Matsuoka-senpai!"

Nitori's voice floated into Rin's ears yet the maroon haired boy didn't even flinch. He had been lying on his bed on his side and facing the wall for the past hour. Misaki hadn't responded to his text, leaving Rin's mind to run wild. Maybe she was out with Makoto. That thought alone made Rin feel sick.

"Matsuoka-senpai?"

Rin could hear the concern in Nitori's voice which only made Rin feel worse. The last thing he needed was to worry the first year especially when the whole thing had nothing to do with him. "What?" Rin noticed how tired his voice sounded, how distant and cold and it made him hate himself a little more.

"Oh," Nitori's gaze fell down towards the ground, "Nothing. I well I just wanted to ask if you were okay."

"I'm fine."

It was the biggest lie Rin could tell because he hadn't been 'fine' since he found out Makoto and Misaki were dating. Rin had worked so hard and come so far since he returned to Japan. The man he came back as was not the man Misaki had loved- which is why he couldn't be around her. Rin first had to settle things with Makoto, Haru, and Nagisa. He first had to become a better person because good people get rewarded right?

Apparently not because the only 'reward' Rin got was a feeling like the world was slipping when he found out that for nearly the past year Misaki had been dating Makoto. She had been going out with him, holding hands with him, laughing with him, kissing him. The worst part was that Rin had to pretend like it was okay. Like his heart hadn't just been stomped on. Like he hadn't been betrayed. He had to be around Misaki three to four times and week and help her with math like nothing was wrong. Rin thought things couldn't get worse but they did.

Rin would have been able to get over Misaki not loving him. Sure it would always hurt but with time Rin was sure he could do it. Finding out that Misaki had waited for him, that she regretted saying 'yes' to Makoto, that she still had feelings for Rin- that changed everything. Now Rin couldn't give up, couldn't move on, because he had a chance. And that's why he did it. That's why Rin went so far with Misaki because he couldn't give up on her.

Rin sighed heavily as he pushed himself off of his side and into a seated position. His elbows rested on his knees as he stared down at the floor, "Oi, Nitori."

"Y-yes senpai!" The boy had been sitting at his desk when the sound of Rin's voice made him jump up in delight.

"Did I ever tell you how I got this?" Rin sat up straight and dug into his sweat pant pocket and pulled out a long silver chain.

"Matsuoka-senpai that's lovely!" Nitori moved closer and held the bird pendant between his thumb and index finger, "I didn't know you wore women's jewelry senpai."

Rin's closed fist hit the top of Nitori's head with a thud. "I don't wear it idiot! It was a gift from someone!"

Nitori rubbed the top of his head as he let out short gasps of pain. "A g-gift? From who?"

Rin placed the necklace into the palm of his hand and squeezed it tightly. "A girl," he mumbled, noticing how cool the silver felt against his hot skin, "It was this girl I liked in elementary school."

"A crush!?" Nitori seemed shocked at not only his senpai's confession of having a crush but also the fact that he was sharing this information with the first year.

"You could say that. This necklace was her grandma's, she gave it to me so I could remember her while I was in Australia. I gave her a bracelet so she could remember me."

"Aww Matsuoka-senpai that is so romantic!" Nitori was nearly jumping up and down as he clasped his hands in front of him, "Have you seen her since you came back from Australia!?"

Rin nodded his head, an annoying lump beginning to form in his throat, "Yeah but she has a boyfriend now."

Nitori's excitement deflated as his hands fell to his side, "Is that why you've been so upset recently?"

"Who said I've been upset!?" Rin's voice rose in volume, causing Nitori to flinch.

"You've just looked gloomy that's all," the blue eyed boy tried to explain, taking a step backwards.

Rin exhaled deeply as he opened his palm and stared down at the pendant. That simple necklace used to give him so much hope, but now it just reminded him of what he lost. Rin lost the chance to be Misaki the right way. Instead he was now stuck in a tangled web of lies and deceit that caused his stomach to churn and his head to spin.

"Maybe you could sweep this girl off her feet!" Nitori stood up proudly, raising one arm into the air, "Like Prince Charming!"

Rin nearly laughed at Nitori's choice of words. Misaki had always been addicted to those Disney princess movies, it would only make sense if Rin could be her Prince Charming. "Prince Charming huh?"

"Yeah! If you wooed her then I'm sure she'd dump her boyfriend and be with you!"

"What makes you so sure?" Rin cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest.

Nitori tapped his chin with his index finger as a stared up at the ceiling, "Because if she gave you something so special like that necklace then I'm sure she must have liked you. And you liked her too. Which means you two should be together!"

Nitori's eyes sparkled as he pulled his fist into his side as if saying 'yes! I figured it out!'. Rin was envious of how simple Nitori could make it seem because in reality it was really fucking complicated.

"That's your opinion," Rin laid back down, placing his arms behind his head as he looked up at the bottom of Nitori's bed.

"Well if you ever need help," Nitori stuck his thumb towards his chest, "You can always ask me."

Rin let out a single chuckle. _What would Nitori be able to do to help?_ The boy had never had a girlfriend, or at least Rin wasn't aware of one. But even if Nitori had experience with women Rin was positive he still wouldn't be able to help. Unless Nitori could somehow making cheating not something everyone distained then Rin was pretty much screwed.

Lips turned downwards as Rin wondered how Misaki felt about this whole thing. It had, after all, been her idea to have sex. Not that Rin was complaining. He was sure he probably liked it _way_ more than Misaki, but still. Misaki had always been a people pleaser. She would never intentionally do something to make someone upset. That's why Rin wasn't surprised by her guilt after they had kissed. Rin was certainly surprised though by her willingness to have sex with him and her surety in the matter. _She's probably drowning in guilt_, Rin thought sourly knowing that if he felt like shit about what they had done to Makoto then Misaki probably felt even worse.

The ping of his phone caused Rin's shoulder to tense as he quickly reached beside him and unlocked the device. "About fucking time," he muttered, wondering what took Misaki so long to reply.

Eyes widened as Rin sat up straight, the phone firmly grasped in his hand, "Yo Nitori, do you know whose number this is?"

Nitori turned around in his seat as Rin held the phone out for him, "No, sorry I don't."

"The captain is probably screwing with me," Rin glared down at the message. '_hey rin! 3 i was wondering if maybe you'd be free to hang out tomorrow night?'_

What really irked him was the heart emoticon, oh and the fact that he had no fucking clue who was texting him. _It's probably the captain_, Rin thought as he decided it would be best to just delete the message.

Another ping caused Rin's teeth to clench as he read the text. '_hehe probably should have told you who this is huh? it's azami :)'_

"How did she even get my number!?" Rin was both terrified and furious as he stood up from his bed. He could faintly hear Nitori asking what was wrong but Rin didn't have time for that.

Rin's growing anger caused his vision to blur and he almost called the wrong person three times. Finally he managed to find the noirette's contact. "Pick up, pick up damn it," Rin paced around the room, Nitori following close behind.

"Hello?"

"Did you give her my number!?"

"Oh my god why are you yelling and what are you talking about!?" Misaki sounded confused to say the least, and also irritated at Rin's screaming.

Rin inhaled deeply, trying to soften his tone before continuing, "Azami just texted me asking if I wanted to go out with her tomorrow night."

Silence. A whole five seconds of silence before Rin heard what he swore was a growl. "I'm coming over."

"It's ten at night what do you mean you're coming over? Hey and why didn't you text me back earlier?" Thinking about Misaki not texting him back and actually verbalizing it turned out to be two very different things. Rin hated how clingy and paranoid he sounded because the reason had to be because Misaki was with Makoto right? Right?

"I want to see you, and sorry I was watching a movie and fell asleep."

Wrong. Rin felt even more stupid about his previous line of thinking. Though beyond that Rin felt joyous over hearing that Misaki wanted to see him. "I can just go over there."

"No I've been stuck in my house all day. I really need to get out." She sounded tired and Rin could have sworn he heard a trace of sadness.

"Tch, fine just be careful."

"Okay, see you soon."

Rin hung up the phone with a sigh before looking down at Nitori, "What?"

"Who was that?"

Rin wanted to lie because it'd be easier but he wasn't sure what to lie about. It wasn't like he could say that it was nobody and then Misaki shows up. "Her name is Misaki and she's coming over."

"A girl is coming over now!?"

Rin wasn't sure if the grey haired boy was excited or nervous. Auburn eyes danced around the room before landing on Nitori's desk, "Yeah so you better clean that up before she gets here."

"Ah! You're right!"

As Nitori tried to clean up his desk Rin laid back down on his bed. An annoying feeling was beginning to flutter around in his stomach. Rin was overly excited and eager to see Misaki. He felt like some sort of lost puppy without her- a feeling which the maroon haired swimmer truly detested. Rin closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. Soon she'd be here and that was enough to make him feel better for the time being.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So it was actually pretty fun to write third person limited Rin rather than third person limited Misaki. I want to do more chapters like this and also give some chapters from other characters perspective. My only hesitation is usually fear of not portraying the characters right, so how do you guys think I did with Rin?

_JJ_: I just had to make Rei the super spy since he already had that job when he was stalking Rin at the festival.

_Lisa_: There will be some cute scenes next chapter!

_miss a_: Most likely there will be more, though I just have to plan where to put it so it's not just a random lemon.

_HellOnTheEngine_: One of the main reasons Rin and Misaki did what they did is because they are two teenagers _in love_. It wouldn't have happened if they didn't have feelings for each other because both of them realize that cheating is bad. And I don't condone their actions either (even though I wrote them) and it's not like what they did won't have consequences. And yeah I think if Rin and Misaki hadn't known each other for so long it would have been way awkward the next morning!

_Guest_: I feel like I need to refer to you as 'nice guest' or something that way I can tell the difference between you and any other guests! And oh my gosh when reading your comment I just imagined an announcers voice at the end of some TV show who is like 'all these questions and more will be answered next time on Promises!' And oh lord if Azami sent Rin sexy pictures I think Misaki just might kill her lol

_Mini_: I think it'd be so cute if everyone in Free! went as someone from Finding Nemo for Halloween! Like Haru would be Nemo and Makoto would obviously be Marlin since he cares and looks after Nemo. Nagisa would probably be Dory. Rin would be Bruce. Rei would be Jacques. Gou could be Flo and ah it'd just be wonderful!

_Ember_: You seriously took the words right out of my mouth in regards to if Rin/Makoto would ever do this. Also Rin didn't just do it with some random girl that he had no past with. Plus Rin feels horrible about what this could do to Makoto- as evident in this chapter WHICH I hope you liked since you wanted to see a chapter from more of Rin's POV

_Guest_ (the other one): If you didn't like the story I'm assuming you might not have read this chapter and won't see my response to your review but I figured I'd reply anyway. First off, I don't see you as the 'bad guy'. I knew some people wouldn't like this story because it does deal with subject matter that not everyone is a fan of and that's okay. In regards to the rest of your comment I'd have you read Ember's and HellontheEngine's reviews since they basically said what I would have said in response to this.

By the way thanks a lot to Ember and HellontheEngine for in a way sticking up for this story. It means a lot to me and I'm really grateful. And thanks to everyone who has been reviewing. It's been so nice to read all of your thoughts on the story and I really really appreciate you guys taking the time to review!


	16. Love

**CHAPTER 16: LOVE**

* * *

The cool night air was a welcome change from the stuffiness inside her house. As the wind blew it tried to take away Misaki's thoughts, but it simply wasn't strong enough. For the past few days all Misaki could think about was Makoto. She hadn't seen the green eyed boy since that night with Rin. Misaki had been too terrified to confront him because she knew she wouldn't be able to act like everything was normal.

Now every time Makoto texted her Misaki felt sick to her stomach. Her heart hurt, especially when Makoto told her that he loved her. Misaki wondered how long she'd be able to read those words from Makoto because soon that love would surely turn to hate. He'd hate her for what she did. Heck, Misaki hated herself for what she did.

The overwhelming feeling of guilt was only made worse by the fact Misaki hadn't seen Rin in the past few days. Not that she hadn't tried, but Rin seemed to be very busy all of the sudden. A part of Misaki wondered if he was avoiding her. But if that was true he wouldn't have been texting her nonstop. While Misaki had been pushing everyone else away she had been desperate to stay close to Rin. He was the only one who could possibly understand how she felt. A feeling of mixed emotions over what she had done with Rin. Misaki was happy when she was around Rin and when she thought of him. She didn't regret having sex with him, though she did regret what her actions would do to Makoto. Misaki felt a constant queasiness and guilt. As the days went on the guilt began to shift from her cheating on Makoto to her knowing full well that she would have to break up with him. The thought of causing Makoto that kind of heart break made Misaki want to throw up.

Everything was a mess. Misaki's least concern was over how Azami got Rin's number. Though based on Rin's frantic phone call he was definitely worried about it. Azami had always been resourceful when it came to things she wanted, and apparently she wanted Rin. _Another player in this messed up game, fantastic_, Misaki thought sourly as she walked down the hallway towards Rin's room. The noirette was pretty sure she wasn't allowed to be here at this time of night but that hadn't stopped her from trekking over here and it certainly didn't stop her from knocking on Rin's door.

When the door opened the first thing Misaki noticed was Rin. _He looks exhausted_. Her eyes danced around Rin's face, noticing the dark circles under his eyes that seemed to be staring blankly down at her. At that moment Misaki knew that the guilt she felt was also tearing away at Rin. _Of course it is, Makoto is one of his best friends_.

An overwhelming feeling of needing to cry began to build as Misaki flung herself at the auburn haired boy. "I missed you," she whispered against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly. At the feeling of Rin's arms enveloping her the need to cry began to dissipate.

Misaki placed her cheek onto Rin's chest, and that's when she noticed a pair of blue orbs staring at her. Once their eyes met the blue eyes were quick to disappear behind Rin. The noirette quickly detached herself as she tried to see past the maroon haired male. "Is that your roommate?"

Rin moved to the side, allowing Misaki a perfect view at the grey haired boy who was standing at his desk and trying to act like he was busy. The boy seemed either nervous or scared- Misaki wasn't sure. As she continued staring at the male Misaki felt a gentle hand guiding her fully into the room followed by the sound of the door closing.

"Yeah," Rin replied as he locked the door.

"Oh um my name is Aiichiro Nitori, it's nice to meet you Misaki," the boy turned quickly and lost his balance for a moment. He took a few hesitant steps away from his desk as he extended his arm, "Matsuoka-senpai told me you'd be coming."

"Matsuoka-senpai huh?" Misaki raised an eyebrow as she looked up at Rin, not fully believing that this sweet looking kid considered him to be his senpai.

"Just shake his hand," Rin growled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Nice to meet you Aiichiro," Misaki smiled as she shook the boy's hand. _He really is pretty cute_, she thought as Nitori smiled brightly at her. "Are you on the swim team?"

"Yes!" Nitori's blue eyes sparkled, the hesitation that had been evident in his demeanor seeming to disappear, "My goal is to one day be as good as Matsuoka-senpai."

It was going to take some time for Misaki to get used to hearing Rin being called 'Matsuoka-senpai'. "I actually haven't watched you swim since you got back," Misaki turned her gaze up towards Rin.

"You should come to one of our practices!" Nitori's voice rose in volume as he clasped his hands in front of him, "We could ask Mikoshiba-senpai and I'm sure he'd let you come watch!"

"Mikoshiba-senpai?" Misaki flicked her gaze between Nitori and Rin.

"Just call him Mikoshiba, if he hears you calling him senpai his ego will go through the roof," Rin's voice was directed at Misaki though his glare was going towards Nitori.

"Mikoshiba-senpai is the captain of the swim team!" Nitori enthusiastically explained, "So what do you say, do you want to come watch use practice sometime! We have an indoor pool so we practice year round and-"

"Hey!" Rin shouted, causing Nitori's mouth to snap shut, "She's not coming to watch us practice."

Misaki looked up at Rin, "But what if I want to?"

Rin exhaled through his nose as his head dropped forward, "We'll discuss it later, but right now I want to know how your crazy friend got my number."

"She's not crazy," Misaki defended as she went and sat down on the edge of Rin's bed, "She does have some stalker tendencies but she's not certifiable."

"That doesn't answer my question!"

"I don't know how she got your number," Misaki slid off her forest green jacket to reveal a simple black t-shirt. "Honest."

Rin sighed as he plopped himself down next to Misaki, "I'm just gonna ignore her."

"You don't want to go out with her?" Misaki teased, poking Rin's cheek.

Rin scowled, "Of course not."

"You're going out with a girl!" Nitori was screaming as he fell onto his knees and grabbed Rin's hands, "You can't give up on your true love Matsuoka-senpai! The girl who gave you the necklace! You can't go out with anyone else because-"

Nitori fell silent as Rin kicked the boy's shin. Misaki took a moment to stare at the grey haired boy who was cradling his shin as tears seeped from his eyes. Hazel eyes then looked over to Rin whose cheeks were unusually red. Misaki knew that Nitori had been talking about her. After all who else would have given Rin a necklace? The surprising part for the girl was Nitori's choice of words. "True love?"

Rin's cheeks flushed even more as he stood up and offered his hand down to Nitori, "Get up I didn't even kick you that hard."

"Y-yes senpai," Nitori sniffled as he allowed Rin to help hoist him up.

"You okay Nitori?"

"Yes," Nitori answered the female as he wiped his eyes with the backs of his hands.

Misaki felt the urge to hug the blue eyed male. Something about seeing Nitori sad and hurt really played at Misaki's emotions. _It's probably because he's so cute_. By the time Nitori was a second year Misaki figured he'd transform from cute to complete stud. He certainly had the potential, plus with all of the swimming he did he was sure to develop a muscular body. Before Misaki could realize it she was shamelessly thinking about how hot Nitori would be in a year while also wondering how she could become his matchmaker. She was sure she could find him a cute girl if only he'd let her.

"Oi," Rin snapped his fingers in front of Misaki's face, "What were you staring at?"

"Nothing."

Rin sighed as he turned back to look at Nitori, "Can you give us a minute?"

Misaki wanted to object. This was Nitori's room just as much as it was Rin's, so it wasn't right for Nitori to have to wander the halls just so Misaki and Rin could talk. Or Nitori could just stay in the room. Misaki flinched at the thought of Nitori overhearing their conversation. The boy seemed to like her, though that opinion would definitely change if she knew that she was a cheater.

As Nitori agreed and exited the room the horrible queasiness began to well in Misaki's stomach. _I'm a cheater_. That thought hurt and burned every muscle and nerve in Misaki's body. It caused her breath to hitch and her eyes to water. Her skin crawled under the weight of her guilt and no matter what she did she simply couldn't stop it.

"Hey."

Misaki looked up to see Rin squatting in front of her, stabilizing himself by resting his hands on her knees. "Yeah?"

Rin's eyes looked to the side as his head dropped slightly, "You feel it too huh?"

Misaki wanted to ask for an explanation but she was sure her heart would break if she heard Rin verbalize it. Though Misaki was curious how Rin's guilt felt. She knew that Rin and Makoto had been friends for a very long time and their friendship was important to both of them. Rin had to deal with the guilt of hurting a friend. Misaki had to deal with the guilt of hurting a lover, and she wasn't sure if one was worse than the other.

"I've been thinking," Misaki started as she placed her hands over Rin's, "I'm going to break up with him sometime this week."

Rin didn't even have to ask who 'him' was. "This week?"

Misaki nodded as she tried to read Rin's facial expression. "I just don't know how I'm gonna do it."

Rin let out an exhale as he allowed himself to fall back onto his behind. He rested his elbows on his bent knees and leaned his forehead against his closed fists. "Are you sure about this?"

The last thing Misaki needed was to be questioned. She already felt horrible about having to break up with a guy like Makoto and Rin asking her if she was sure made her stomach twist. "I want to be with you," she whispered, "This is the only way for that to happen."

Rin's fist hit the floor with a thud that frightened Misaki. "Fuck!" Another punch to the floor before Rin rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, "Makoto doesn't deserve this."

"You think I don't know that?" Misaki balled up her fists, wishing she could punch something.

"He shouldn't have fucking asked you out in the first place."

"It's not his fault," Misaki defended, "It's my fault for saying yes."

"Or my fault for not writing you," Rin placed his forearm on his forehead, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing.

His eyes snapped open when he felt Misaki's body near his. She had slid off the bed and onto the floor where she laid down next to the male. Her cheek rested on his chest and she laid one arm across his body. "It's no one's fault."

Her voice faltered and Rin realized that she was crying. He could feel her tears soaking into his t-shirt yet there was nothing he could do to stop it. Because Misaki wasn't just crying for herself. She was crying for the both of them. She was crying over what Makoto would have to go through because of their decision.

"I'm scared," Misaki whispered. The girl was terrified of having to confront Makoto. She was frightened of the future and where Rin would fit into it. Misaki would give anything if she didn't have to do this alone, but there was no other way.

"Don't be," Rin slid his arm under Misaki's waist and with a tug pulled her on top of him.

Misaki wanted to believe him but she couldn't. She had every right to be scared. Scared of the face Makoto would make when she broke his heart. "Hey Rin."

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Misaki could feel Rin's breath hitch in his chest. She dared to look up though Rin's gaze was still set at the ceiling. With a shaky exhale she placed her cheek back onto Rin's chest. She focused her mind on how comfy it was to be lying on top of Rin. His broad chest supported her weight while her legs were strewn on top of Rin's. Then there was the feeling of Rin's hands on her back and how they moved up and down. The motion soon stopped though and instead Misaki felt Rin's arms wrap around her waist and hold her tightly.

"I love you too."

It felt weird to actually hear Rin say it. For years Misaki had read Rin's letters in which he wrote those three little words. He had written that he loved her numerous times and Misaki had done the same, but there was something special about hearing the words come from Rin's mouth. It caused a closed lipped smile to come to her face as she nuzzled into Rin's chest. They were in love with each other and now that they had each said those words their connection was set in stone.

Misaki was prepared to stay laying there for a while but the sound of the door opening meant that wasn't about to happen. "Oh no!" the blue eyed teen shouted, "Are you guys okay!? Did you fall on the floor!? Should I get Seijuro-senpai!?"

Misaki quickly wiped any stray tears from her eyes, not wanting Nitori to see that she had been crying. Her actions were cut short though as Rin sat up. His movement caused Misaki to roll off him and hit the ground. Her back popped on impact and neither of the boys noticed her pained expression.

"Stop yelling!" Rin shouted, not really one for following his own advice, "What are you doing back!?"

"I got lonely!"

"Lonely!?"

"I'm sorry senpai!"

"You know what?" Misaki huffed as she sat up and rubbed her back, "I'm going home."

"No! Misaki-chan! Stay!"

"Why are you the one begging her to stay!?" Rin glared at Nitori who quickly stopped his pleading, "And you," Rin turned to see Misaki standing up; "You don't have to go yet."

Misaki wanted to stay but she knew that she couldn't. "It's already dark."

"Want me to walk you home?"

"Someone's clingy," Misaki joked, noticing how flustered Rin got over that simple comment.

Rin crossed his arms over his chest as he tried not to give into Misaki's playful smile, "Tch whatever."

"I'll text you tomorrow okay?" Misaki leaned in and placed a kiss on Rin's cheek before grabbing her jacket off the bed and moving towards the door, "It was nice to meet you Nitori."

"Y-you too!" Nitori called as he watched Misaki wave goodbye and then exit the room.

Misaki chuckled to herself as she walked down the hallway. She was sure to hear about that little kiss from Rin later who no doubt was not a fan of her doing that in front of Nitori. The happiness soon wore off as she walked out of the dormitory and felt a lump form in her throat. _Tomorrow_, she thought. The single word made her stomach hurt and her palms begin to sweat. Dark thoughts plagued with guilt began to swirl above her head but before they could sweep down and capture her Misaki heard Rin's voice in her head. _'I love you too_'.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I wanted to get this chapter out sooner but school has been super busy. I only have two weeks left though and then I'll be able to update quickly while I'm on winter break. Until I get to winter break though updates might be a tad slower.

_Ember:_ I'm planning on doing more chapters from Rin's perspective since it does help convey how he feels about all of this. And I'm not sure how awkward Nitori was around Misaki...though he did start inviting her to swim practice and begged her to stay longer.

_JJ:_ Well Rei being a spy came from the series and Nitori being a love guru...I'm not sure how that came to me. I guess I just thought it'd be cute if Nitori was giving Rin advice on love. And well Azami can be a little crazy with guys she likes so she may become a super stalker

_The nice Guest:_ Ah I love that you actually changed your name to 'the nice guest' it's perfect. And oh goodness I feel like Rin would have zero patience for a horse, like when it didn't obey him he'd just curse and get off it. And you bring up good questions! Before the story ends they shall all be answered!

_Mini:_ I feel like Nitori's love advice would be good in theory but I don't see him having enough experience to back it up. It's like he gets all his love advice from books and movies. Oh my gosh I can totally see Nitori reading Nicholas Sparks late at night and like crying over The Notebook in his spare time.

_Lisa:_ Rin would be such a good Prince Charming. I mean he certainly has the looks and I'm sure if he tried he could put on a good amount of charm.


	17. Caught

**CHAPTER 17: CAUGHT**

* * *

Sickness. The whole day was full of a queasiness that bubbled in the pit of Misaki's stomach. Could she do this? _Really _do this? It had already taken all Misaki had to just schedule the date with Makoto. The male had wanted to take her to see a movie but Misaki declined. They couldn't talk during a movie, and although Misaki certainly didn't want to have this conversation with Makoto she knew she had to.

"I'm gonna throw up," Misaki clutched her stomach as she walked down the street towards the small lunch café. She repeated the phrase a few more times, the taste of her breakfast beginning to slide up her throat.

_I need to turn around. I can't do this. I'm gonna puke_. The thoughts were suffocating Misaki as she stopped in her tracks and took a deep breathe. The temptation to turn around and run was overwhelming but the sound of her name snapped her out of her trance.

There he was. In shorts and a plain green t-shirt that complimented his eyes. He was smiling, a happy, genuine, glad to see her smile that made Misaki doubt herself even more. "Misaki," the boy repeated again, this time softer before he came up and enveloped her in a hug, "I've missed you."

"Yeah," Misaki breathed, nuzzling into Makoto's chest, "Me too."

It was the truth. It was the overwhelming truth that just made Misaki hurt even more. She was going to throw up. She was going to cry. Flashes of Rin danced in her head and made her blood boil and eyes sting. "Hey," his voice was full of concern, "You okay?"

Misaki inwardly groaned at how Makoto could read her like a book, not like it was very hard to tell that at the moment something was definitely wrong. "We uh," Misaki bit down on her bottom lip, her palms accumulating sweat, "I just have to talk to you about something."

The noirette looked up in time to see Makoto's eyebrows rise in confusion before settling back down and a sweet smile adorning his face. All he did was nod his head once before leading Misaki into the café. A whoosh of warm air rushed past Misaki as she entered the building. The cool fall air had settled over Iwatobi which usually made entering a warm building a welcome surprise. But not today. Today the warmness made Misaki feel light headed. She was already overheating from her own anxiety, the last thing she needed was the extra sweat brought on by an overworked heater.

"Can we sit outside?" Misaki blurted, interrupting the hostess who had been talking to Makoto. The female looked at Misaki with fake smile and an 'of course!' before leading them out onto the patio.

Once seated Misaki could feel Makoto's gaze on her. He was waiting ever so patiently for Misaki to begin speaking but words just wouldn't come out. Where could she even start? What was she supposed to say to him? _Oh by the way I had sex with Rin and want to be with him instead of you and I feel really guilty about it so I'm gonna go jump off the roof of this café now okay? Okay. _Misaki began lightly tapping the table with her index fingers as if she were beginning the drum roll that would lead to the breaking of Makoto's heart.

Because that is what would happen. Makoto's heart would be snapped into a million pieces with Misaki walking all over it. The thought made Misaki cringe and want to vomit yet again. How could she do this to him? Hazel eyes looked across the table at Makoto, at her boyfriend. At the seventeen year old boy who had loved her for nearly a year now. The guy who brought over ice cream and watched sappy romantic movies with her when she was sad. The guy who kisses the top of her head and tells her how beautiful she is. The boy with the green eyes and soft smile that made so many girls' hearts melt. Makoto was perfect and the thought of breaking that perfection made Misaki's knees shake and heart pound furiously in her chest.

"M-Makoto I-I," Misaki bit down on her tongue, begging herself to stop stuttering, "I well you see I just have been well…" It wouldn't come out. It was lodged in her throat, eternally stuck.

"I've really been missing my parents," Misaki swallowed hard and wiped her palms on her legs, "I mean they usually go on a trip like this every year but this time they are gone for a while and I've been lonely at my house without them."

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?"

Misaki nodded her head, "Yeah, I just uh I felt stupid saying it because I'm not six anymore right?" She laughed the most forced and fake laugh she could have ever imagined yet it seemed as if Makoto bought it. His eyes lit up, a deep exhale made its way out of his nose, and he smiled at her.

"I could stay with you if you want."

Panic. Instant panic as Misaki let out another fake laugh, "Nah it's okay I promise I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

Misaki was sure that if Makoto even took a step into her house now he'd be able to smell Rin's presence. The walls would tell him all of her dirty little secrets and she couldn't let that happen. "Yup," Misaki's voice was soft as she nibbled on her bottom lip, thoughts once again returning to Rin.

"Is there something else you wanted to talk about?"

_Yes. _"No." The lie hurt deep into Misaki's bones as she avoided Makoto's gaze. _Why can't I just say it?_ The question tugged and tugged at her mind but her heart tugged right back with the answer- _Because I can't break his heart_.

* * *

Misaki felt exhausted as she quickly walked down the all too familiar path to Samezuka. The entire date with Makoto had been full of lies that completely zapped Misaki of her energy. She realized as she sat across from him why she had been avoiding this whole situation. Being around Makoto made her feel like complete and utter shit. Like some sort of a whore who couldn't just keep her legs closed. It also made her feel like a liar- because that's exactly what she had turned into. She lied about why she hadn't seen him in a while. She lied about what she needed to talk to him about. The only thing she didn't lie about was when she told him she loved him. Because she really truly did- just not in the same way anymore.

"Ugh," Misaki tugged at her hair as she sprinted up the stairs before banging loudly on Rin's door. She waited a while two seconds before banging on it again and was about to kick the door when Rin swung it open.

"_What?_" he sounded angry, though as soon as he laid eyes on Misaki his gaze softened.

"I couldn't do it!" Misaki blurted, pushing past Rin and entering his room where Nitori was doing homework on the floor, "I couldn't!"

"Uh Nitori can you give us a minute?" Rin's eyes flicked down to the grey haired boy who nodded his head 'yes' before getting up and exiting the room.

Once the door closed Rin placed his hands on Misaki's shoulders to stop her from pacing, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I couldn't!" She couldn't stop repeating herself as she tore away from Rin's grasp and continued walking in circles, "I tried and I just couldn't!"

"Misaki," he tried saying it calmly but it wasn't working, "Misaki!"

The sound of him yelling her name made the noirette stop and turn to look at Rin, "I couldn't break up with him."

At first Rin looked confused as his eyebrows raised, but slowly that look turned into anger mixed with sadness, "Why not?"

She couldn't answer. So Rin asked again, this time more forceful. "I can't break his heart," Misaki tried to sound strong but it failed. She watched as Rin let out a sigh and then fell down onto his bed.

"I knew this would happen," Rin mumbled as he placed his forearm over his eyes, "Fucking knew it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Tch you know exactly what it means, means I knew you wouldn't be able to break up with him."

Misaki's hands balled up by her sides, "It's not an easy thing to do you know."

"I know," the male whispered, "It's cause you don't wanna do it."

He was right. Misaki really _really_ didn't want to break up with Makoto, but not because she still wanted to be with him. Because she didn't want to hurt him. "I will," the two words sounded like a lie and they made Misaki wish she hadn't said anything at all.

Rin looked up at Misaki, "Sure you will."

"Well what would you do in this situation huh?" Misaki was getting mad, not only at Rin but at herself for not having the balls to just break up with Makoto, "How would you tell someone like Makoto that you cheated on him and didn't want to be with him anymore?"

The question seemed to stump Rin as he sat in silence for a few moments. Finally he sat up and rested his elbows on his knees, "I feel like shit."

Well that didn't answer the question. "What?"

"Misaki I love you but I'm fucking exhausted of having to keep a secret like this. If you want to break up with Makoto then do it. If you don't then stop saying you will and just go on and be happy with him."

The 'I love you' part made Misaki's heart flutter, the rest made her want to go die in a hole. "I'm not leading you on," she defended, but Rin only made a 'tch' noise and pulled on his hair.

Misaki began playing with her fingers, popping her knuckles, and expecting her fingernails all in an attempt to calm down. It wasn't working. She still felt stick to her stomach from being around Makoto earlier and here she thought Rin would be able to help but he was only making it worse. "Can you be there?"

"Huh?"

"Can you be there?" Misaki repeated, a little louder this time, "When I break up with him."

Rin's eyes went wide, "Are you insane? Why would I want to be there?"

"To apologize," the words made Rin break their gaze as sadness shone in his eyes, "You don't have to be with me when I actually do it, but just go with me to meet him somewhere and be there for me after. Please?"

The few seconds of silence felt like hours. "Fuck," Rin groaned, pulling his hair once more, "Fine!"

Misaki would have smiled if their conversation hadn't been revolving around how she was about to break a guy's heart. Instead she nodded and moved towards Rin, sitting down next to him. "When are we doing this?" Rin questioned as Misaki wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Friday," that gave her a whole three days to get her act together. Three days to be able to figure out what she would say, three days to man up and face her problems.

"Okay," Rin breathed through his nose, wrapping an arm around Misaki's shoulder and pulling her in closer, "Okay."

* * *

"Rei! I don't think we should be doing this!"

Nagisa's whining did nothing to stop the bespectacled boy from dashing from cover to cover as he followed Misaki to her destination. Him and Nagisa had just finished spying on the noirette and Makoto as they ate lunch and at seeing that Misaki wasn't walking home Rei just had to follow- even though he was pretty sure he knew where she was going.

"Rei! C'mon!" Nagisa tugged hard on Rei's arm causing him to let out a yelp of pain.

"We have to keep up with her," Rei scolded the pouting blonde who refused to let go of his arm.

"She isn't doing anything bad."

"You don't know that," Rei's jaw clenched as he knew that no matter what he said Nagisa just wouldn't believe him.

Ever since that movie night at Misaki's Rei knew something was going on. He had overheard Misaki and Rin talking in the kitchen, something about an incident that Misaki didn't want to talk about because Makoto was in the other room. Then Rin has asked her if she had told 'him' yet, 'him' referring to Makoto. What did Misaki have to tell Makoto? What did Rin have to do with it? A little investigative work later led Rei to finding out about Misaki's and Rin's past. That bracelet she always wore, yup, Rin gave it to her in elementary school. Apparantly the two had been a sort of item but something happened and Misaki ended up dating Makoto. And now Rin was back and as soon as Rin and Misaki had first talked at the pool Misaki was different. She was rarely spending time with Makoto now, or with any of the Iwatobi swim team. Something was up, and Rei had to get to the bottom of it. That's when he got Azami's number and asked her to drop by Misaki's house randomly in the hopes of finding Rin there. Too bad he wasn't there and Rei had to give Azami Rin's number, which the male probably wasn't too happy about but Rei didn't care. He had to figure this out no matter how much creepy stalking it took.

"C'mon," Rei grabbed Nagisa's arm and began tugging the unwilling boy down the street. The whole way there Nagisa whispered complaints about how ridiculous this whole thing was. Misaki loved Makoto he said, so she would never do anything with Rin even if the two had once liked each other. It wasn't until the two watched Misaki walk onto the Samezuka campus that Nagisa stopped complaining.

"Do you think she's here to see Rin?"

Rei turned to look at Nagisa, "What else would she be here for?"

Nagisa gulped and nodded once, his pink orbs set on the school, "We should wait for her to come out."

Rei would be lying if he didn't feel a tinge of satisfaction at opening up Nagisa's eyes to the possibility that Misaki could be doing something with Rin behind Makoto's back. Rei gulped as the word 'cheating' entered his mind. He shook his head left and right, trying to shake the word out but it was stuck. Despite Rei being pretty sure that something fishy was going on he hated to think that Misaki would actually cheat on Makoto.

Nagisa and Rei sat in silence for nearly half an hour, their eyes set on the building that Misaki had entered. They had taken cover behind some shrubbery as to not seem suspicious, though they still got some strange looks from people passing by. "Hey," Nagisa whispered, violently shaking Rei's shoulder, "There's Misaki."

Rei turned his gaze to see the noirette followed by Rin. "He's probably just walking her out, Rin's always been nice like that," Nagisa whispered and Rei could hear the hope in Nagisa's voice. The hope that he was right, that Rin was just being a nice guy.

And that's when it happened. That's when Nagisa let out a whine of horror and Rei knew that he had unfortunately been right this entire time. At that very moment when Rin leaned down and kissed Misaki and she didn't resist Rei knew what he had to do. "We have to tell Makoto."

* * *

**Author's Note:** My goal is to have this story done within five or so chapters. Originally I wanted it to be longer but my mind has been invaded with ideas for some new fanfiction and has been causing me to lose inspiration with this story. I'm planning on writing some One Direction fanfiction over on wattpad, if any of you would like to have the link to my wattpad so you can see when I posted the story just ask and I'd be happy to give it. So yes, I'm hoping to wrap this story up sooner than later.

_Ember_: oh my goodness yeah any girl would get distracted watching Rin swim! and i'm happy that you liked the chapter and how much of a cutie Nitori is :)

_Lisa_: last chapter was pretty cute though i feel like i made a jump from cute to 'oh no!' with this chapter, what did you think?

_The nice Guest_: haha you should have just been like 'um yes actually i love half naked guys, they are the '

_Mini:_ i could probably do like a whole spinoff in which Misaki sends Nitori out on blind dates and gives him a makeover and all that jazz

_HellOnTheEngine_: the breakup is still coming because Misaki couldn't man up and do it! but yeah now you know how Rei plays into all of this that little rascal

_JJ_: thanks and did you like legit say it outloud?! cause that would have been funny

_Andramion_: awww thanks so so much! your whole review was really really sweet and well what did you think of the chapter? nothing terrible happened...well kind of, i dunno just let me know your thoughts!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it really does make me want to keep writing this story for you guys and push through my writers block/lack of inspiration.


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